HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the House of Commons Commission spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available.

John Thurso: The House of Commons participates in carbon emission offset auctions, which is part of the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework. No payment has been made in the past year, but the House expects to participate in the next auction, which is scheduled for November 2013, to cover official air travel undertaken by Members and staff booked via the Parliamentary Travel Office in the years 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Parliament: Visits

Luciana Berger: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much (a) the House of Commons and (b) Ticketmaster UK earns for each ticket sold for tours of the Houses of Parliament through the Ticketmaster website.

John Thurso: Paid-for tours of Parliament are available during the summer recess and on Saturdays throughout the year. Tickets are sold in advance via the Ticketmaster website. Tickets on the day of entry are bought at the ticket office.
	The standard prices are £16.50 for adults and £14.00 for concessions. One child under 16 is free with each paying adult. Tours are a shared service with the House of Lords. Ticketmaster charges vary depending on the delivery method; the revenue for a standard ticket bought online and collected at the ticket office is split as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 House of Commons 8.18 
			 House of Lords 3.51 
			 Ticketmaster 2.06 
			 VAT 2.75 
			 Total adult price 16.50 
		
	
	The contract for commercial ticketing is currently being re-tendered.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

First World War Commemorations

Kevan Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Church Commissioners are giving to the centenary commemorations of the outbreak of the first world war.

Tony Baldry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 July 2013, Official Report, column 620W. The Church of England is intending to play a full part in the commemoration of the centenary of world war one in a number of ways:
	The bishops intend to join local commemorations that reflect events significant to the local area's experience of the war.
	The Dean of Salisbury, the Very Reverend June Osborne, is on the Government's Advisory Group.
	The Liturgical Commission of the Church of England is designing resources for use in parish churches for their own local commemorations, including the recognition of the many war memorials which are either in churches or in their churchyards.
	The Church of England is also working in partnership with HOPE, an interdenominational organization, to encourage and resource all churches to come together as they facilitate and serve their communities at this important time of national commemoration.
	Dioceses will encourage schools to visit the First World War battlefields to promote greater understanding of the war.
	All parish churches are being encouraged to join with Westminster Abbey in the vigil on Monday 4th August 2014 designed as a day for prayer, of remembrance and for peace in our own time. This will conclude with a candlelight vigil ending at 11.00 pm 100 years after war was declared which will close with the candles being extinguished; reflecting Sir Edward Grey's famous remark that “the lamps are going out all over Europe”.

Bishops: Females

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress the Church has made on enabling women to be bishops.

Tony Baldry: The General Synod initiated a new legislative process in July and will be giving first consideration to the necessary draft measure and amending canon this November. The intention is that the process should be completed significantly faster than was the case with the legislation that failed to secure the necessary approval last November.
	Despite this progress, the constitution of the Church imposes a number of requirements, including a mandatory reference to diocesan synods. This timetable should enable final approval to be achieved in 2015 at July or November Synod.

Richard III

Hugh Bayley: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what representations the Church of England has made to the Secretary of State for Justice about Mr Justice Haddon-Cave’s judgment in relation to the Secretary of State’s decision on the reburial of King Richard III.

Tony Baldry: The Church of England has not made any representations to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), in relation to the judicial review to be heard in the High Court in October and brought by the Plantagenet Alliance. The ecclesial authorities are not the subject of the review, which relates to the public consultation duties of the Ministry of Justice. The university of Leicester holds the license for the remains of King Richard III from the Secretary of State for Justice. The judicial review is not concerned with the final resting place of King Richard III.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office purchased £3,118 of high quality Certified Emissions Reduction credits in 2012-13 under the Carbon Offsetting Facility (GCOF II) for business related travel. There are no other associated costs.

Crime: Sussex

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported (a) violent and (b) non-violent crimes there were in (i) Brighton, Kemptown constituency and (ii) Sussex in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: Information for the Brighton Kemptown constituency is not collected centrally. The available information relates to offences recorded by the police in the Brighton and Hove Community Safety Partnership area and is given in the table along with figures for the Sussex police force area.
	
		
			 Offences recorded by the police in Brighton and Hove and Sussex 
			 Number of offences 
			  Brighton and Hove Sussex 
			  Violence against the person Other offences(1) Violence against the person Other offences(1) 
			 2008-09 4,407 19,957 16,970 87,005 
			 2009-10 4,112 19,393 16,658 80,771 
			 2010-11 4,159 19,075 16,365 77,218 
			 2011-12 3,587 19,331 15,105 77,893 
			 2012-13 3,502 19,544 15,120 73,075 
			 (1 )For the year ending March 2013 figures, the Office for National Statistics published headline national crime figures that include centralised (Action Fraud) recording of fraud and a separate series which excludes fraud. Due to the staggered move of recording fraud offences by forces to Action Fraud, crime figures for 'Other offences' are shown excluding fraud offences to allow for consistent comparisons.

Domestic Violence

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will build detailed domestic homicide reviews on the basis of garrison communities within community safety partnerships; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: holding answer 8 October 2013
	If there is a domestic homicide within a garrison community we would already expect the relevant Community Safety Partnership to establish a Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) panel and for the relevant military personnel to participate.

Firearms: Licensing

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to ensure that firearms licensing fees are representative of the true cost to police forces of issuing and tracking licences.

Damian Green: We remain firmly committed to ensuring there is an appropriate balance between the fee paid and the licence service provided. We are working with the police and other members of the shooting community to improve the efficiency of the licensing process, in part by moving much of the licensing system online. Once these efficiencies are realised we will be in a position to reassess fee levels.

Homophobia

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many homophobic hate crimes were reported in (a) Brighton, Kemptown constituency, (b) Brighton and Hove and (c) Sussex in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to tackle homophobic hate crimes.

Norman Baker: Tackling hate crime, including hatred on the grounds of a person's sexual orientation, is an issue the Government takes very seriously.
	We are meeting the coalition commitment to improve the recording of such crimes, and working with the police and other partners to encourage more victims to come forward. There are specific laws in place to protect victims and deal with offenders, and the Law Commission recently consulted on the case for extending existing hate crime legislation, including whether to introduce aggravated offences for crimes motivated by hostility towards a person based on their sexual orientation. We will consider the Commission's findings when it reports next year.
	Data on the number of hate crimes recorded by police forces in England and Wales is collected centrally by police force area, and is not broken down by town or city. In 2011/12, 111 hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation were recorded by Sussex Police, although not all of these will be homophobic hate crimes. Further details of the data are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hate-crimes-england-and-wales-2011-to-2012--2

Pathology: South West

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's future plans are for forensic paediatric pathology services in the south west.

Norman Baker: holding answer 8 October 2013
	Paediatric pathology is generally the responsibility of my Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health.
	The Home Office maintains the Home Office Register of Forensic Pathologists.
	Home Office registered forensic pathologists are independent of the police, coroners and the Home Office, and group practices are currently structured so that pathologists working within them may be self-employed or employed by a university hospital or a hospital trust.
	There are currently 37 forensic pathologists on the Home Office Register, working in six group practice areas around England and Wales, who provide a service to police and coroners in their geographical areas of operation, to assist in the investigation of violent and suspicious death cases.
	The West & South West forensic pathology group practice currently consists of five self employed forensic pathologist consultants' none of whom are 'forensic paediatric pathologists', but who may rely on the services of a hospital paediatric pathologist from time to time for assistance with investigations into homicide or suspicious death cases involving an infant or child.
	This department is involved in providing criminal justice training for pathology specialists (including paediatric pathologists) in collaboration with the College of Policing, but has no official remit in respect of paediatric pathologists, apart from the one dual qualified (paediatric/forensic) member of the Home Office Register.
	The Home Office Forensic Pathology Unit is not aware of a specific 'forensic paediatric service' operating in the South West.

Police: Safety

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to improve the safety of police officers.

Damian Green: The management of health and safety in the police service is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997: Kent

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will request that Kent Police publish information on the number of persons (a) arrested, (b) charged, (c) convicted and (d) jailed under (i) Section 2a and (ii) Section 4a of the Protection from Harrassment Act 1997 since that Act's implementation.

Norman Baker: Responsibility for the publication of information by police forces sits with the Chief Constable. Offences under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Act (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012) came into force on 25 November 2012. However, data relating to the numbers of persons convicted of and given custodial sentences for offences under the 1997 Act is held by the Ministry of Justice. Between 25 November 2012 and 31 December 2012 (the latest available data), there were no offenders convicted in Kent of the new offences introduced by Sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Prosecutions

Edward Garnier: To ask the Attorney-General what the policy of the Crown Prosecution Service is on (a) the taking over of private prosecutions and (b) the payment of a defendant's costs following a failed prosecution in (i) the Crown court and (ii) magistrates' courts.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) policy on the taking over of private prosecutions is published on the CPS website and can be found at
	http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/p_to_r/private_prosecutions/
	The policy sets out the circumstances under section 6(2) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 in which the Director of Public Prosecutions will take over a prosecution in order either to continue it or to stop it. The policy also sets out when the CPS would not take over a private prosecution.
	Where a private prosecution has been taken over and prosecuted by the CPS and is unsuccessful, the CPS will not routinely pay the defendant's costs for cases dealt with in the Crown court or in magistrates' courts. However, the CPS will pay costs ordered by the court under the limited circumstances set out in sections 19 and 19A of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. The CPS does not routinely collate data on the number or value of such costs awards.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 460W, on Afghanistan, what support her Department provides to partner organisations that fund national shelter programmes for women in Afghanistan; and which organisations receive such support.

Alan Duncan: DFID provides funding to NGOs who work to protect women and girls from violence in Afghanistan. The UK recognises the important role of protection services and supports our partners in funding national shelter programmes. DFID funding is not earmarked for particular activities, so it is not possible to say how much of this contributes to the funding of shelters.

Female Genital Mutilation

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in which countries he assesses female genital mutilation to be (a) widespread and (b) tolerated by the authorities.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID's assessment draws from a recently published UNICEF report on female genital mutilation (FGM) in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where the practice is concentrated. According to the UNICEF data, the highest prevalence countries are Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti and Egypt (over 90%), Eritrea, Mali, Sierra Leone and Sudan (just under 90%), and Gambia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mauritania and Liberia (60-80%). In Nigeria, the prevalence of FGM is 27% which amounts to just under 20 million women and girls.
	FGM is also practised in countries in other regions, most notably Indonesia and Malaysia, and by some members of diaspora communities from practising countries who live in Europe, North America and Australia.
	Of the 29 African and Middle Eastern countries covered by the UNICEF report, 24 have enacted decrees or legislation banning FGM. Gambia, Liberia, Mali and Sierra Leone are high prevalence countries which have not done so.

Nepal

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on consolidating the Great Himalaya Trail Development Programme into the Nepal Market Development programme; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: The UK's Great Himalaya Trail Development Programme has been supporting tourism in Nepal since 2011. UK support has helped to provide skills training to 749 tourism entrepreneurs in five remote regions of Nepal, 47% of whom are women. Approximately 2,000 medium and small enterprises have benefited from tourism-related business that has supported better incomes and livelihoods for poor people in remote mountainous regions.
	I am pleased to confirm that the UK will continue support to the Great Himalaya Trail for the next two years through DFID's Nepal Market Development Programme. DFID will continue supporting Nepal's tourism sector to ensure that the economic benefits of tourism are benefiting the poorest people.

Nepal

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which projects her Department is funding in Nepal; and which non-governmental organisations are involved in each such project.

Alan Duncan: Details for projects funded through our Nepal programme and the partners involved are available on website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237274/Nepal-portfolio-review-2012-13.pdf

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Alan Duncan: Through the procurement tender process, DFID requires suppliers to comply with all relevant UK legislation which includes the requirement to ensure that payments to their employees meet the requirements of the national minimum wage. It is for workers and employers to decide the level of wages above the minimum wage based on individual circumstances. DFID will always award contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer—which includes the low paid.
	The UK labour market is one of the most flexible in the world because we allow individuals and businesses to agree patterns of work that suit them. We do not regulate the minimum number of hours people can work and we allow people and companies freedom to agree these terms themselves.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members: Correspondence

David Crausby: To ask the Leader of the House when he plans to respond to the letter of the hon. Member for Bolton North East dated 30 July 2013 on his policy for responding to e-petitions that have passed 10,000 signatures.

Andrew Lansley: My Office has no record of receiving a letter from the hon. Member for Bolton North East dated 30 July 2013. However, as I explained in my written ministerial statement of 13 September 2012, Official Report, column 16WS, e-petitions that receive more than 10,000 signatures will receive a written response from Government.

HEALTH

Complementary Medicine

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in regulations governing the availability of the GUNA Physiological Regulating Remedies on (a) patients and (b) practitioners.

Norman Lamb: There have not been any changes to medicines regulations affecting the availability of imported, unlicensed medicines such as GUNA Physiological Regulating Remedies. The exemptions from the requirement for medicinal products to have a marketing authorisation or certificate of registration have certain conditions; this includes the need for imported unlicensed products to be notified to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. These conditions, which apply to all imported unlicensed medicines, whether homeopathic or non-homeopathic, have been in place since 1999.

Drugs: Poisoning

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2013, Official Report, column 1667W, how many (a) men, (b) women and (c) children have been admitted to hospital for drug poisoning showing ICD10 codes T36-T50 separately at a five character level in each of the last six years.

Daniel Poulter: When a hospital codes the admission episode of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider (called an ‘finished admission episode’) it is only mandatory to input diagnosis codes up to the fourth character and while some hospital providers do code to the fifth character, many do not, which means that the resulting data are not of a sufficient quality to use. The information requested, to a four character level, has been placed in the Library.

Health Services Commissioners Act 1993

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Health Services Commissioners Act 1993 to include the General Dental Council as a body subject to investigation under Clause 2.

Daniel Poulter: There are no plans to do this. The Health Service Commissioner's role is to investigate complaints that individuals have been treated unfairly or have received poor service from the national health service in England. The General Dental Council is not an NHS body.

Health Services: Weather

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations his Department received from North East NHS trusts regarding his recent allocation of winter funds;
	(2)  what guidance his Department used to calculate allocation of winter funds to NHS trusts.

Daniel Poulter: Decisions on which high risk trusts to concentrate the resources for the upcoming winter were made jointly by NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA). There were no representations made to the Department from North East National Health Service trusts regarding the recent allocation of winter funds.
	Decisions were made on the basis of a number of factors including risk to delivery of the accident and emergency (A&E) standard, challenging local circumstances and the needs of local populations. This gave a picture of those facing the greatest compound risk and identified the trusts thought most likely to benefit most from additional funding.
	The money will be targeted at the local systems that will benefit most from the extra funding. If a trust has not been identified to receive a share of these winter monies it is a sign that they are performing well in delivering their A&E services. Nonetheless we are not complacent. Each of the 143 urgent care boards have presented specific plans for initiatives to alleviate pressures on local A&E departments, and NHS England, Monitor and the NHS TDA will be working with hospitals across the whole country to ensure that emergency services are ready for winter.

Heart Diseases

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to better identify and address the needs of patients with undiagnosed atrial fibrillation.

Daniel Poulter: As set out in the Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy, published in March 2013, atrial fibrillation is a priority for this Government and NHS England will work to support primary care to provide good management of people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including atrial fibrillation-related stroke.
	Responsibility for improving clinical outcomes from health care services lies with NHS England.
	NHS England is developing its overall approach to delivering reduced premature mortality, in line with the NHS Outcomes Framework. As one of the major causes of premature mortality, reducing cardiovascular-related mortality is expected to form a significant element of NHS England's work to support primary care, including providing good management of people with or at risk of CVD.
	The Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCGs) Outcome Indicators Set for 2013-14 will be used to measure improvement in the quality of services and health outcomes achieved by CCGs through commissioning. This includes indicators on CVD, which covers atrial fibrillation.
	In line with this overall aim, NHS Improving Quality's (NHS IQ's) strategic priorities for 2013-14 include public awareness and early diagnosis and a major drive to increase general practitioner engagement in stroke.
	Prior to the formation of NHS IQ, NHS Improvement implemented the national roll out of Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation (GRASP-AF), as part of a wider programme aimed at improving the management of atrial fibrillation in stroke prevention. This tool is for use in primary care to help with stroke risk assessment and the management of atrial fibrillation.
	NHS IQ will continue to promote these tools.

Meat Products

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made on banning desinewed meat in Europe.

Daniel Poulter: The Food Standards Agency advise that issues around desinewed meat (DSM) arose in 2012 due to a difference in interpretation of the definition of mechanically separated meat (MSM) in European Union Food Law between the United Kingdom and European Commission. This was identified by the Commission's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) during a routine programmed audit of UK official controls on MSM. The UK DSM moratorium was introduced in spring 2012 to align UK policy with the Commission's interpretation.
	As regards the position in the rest of the EU, the FVO carried out audits of MSM controls in Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands during the remainder of 2012, and in Denmark, Spain and Poland in spring 2013. The reports of these audits, with the exception of that undertaken in Poland, have been published. The reports reveal that the FVO identified instances of mislabelled poultry and pork MSM which, in one member state, was the result of a centrally-agreed approach. The reports also show that the FVO found no evidence of the production of MSM from the bones of cattle, sheep or goats which is prohibited under EU Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy legislation.
	Since introducing the DSM moratorium, the Government has continually pressed the European Commission to ensure a level EU playing field and to take the same approach to dealing with any non-compliance identified by the FVO in other member states as they did with the UK. The Commission has maintained that it would act to address non-compliance and avoid distortion to the EU market in exactly the same way as it did in relation to the UK and has stated that it has done so in relation to the labelling issues identified by the FVO in other member states.

Mental Health Services

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding mental health services in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Haringey have received in each of the last four years.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not allocate funding to mental health services and we do not have the information requested. However, the following three tables provide information on reported investment in mental health services covering the areas requested. Prior to 2013-14, primary care trusts were responsible for commissioning services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations, taking account of national and local priorities.
	
		
			 Reported investment for working age adults 
			 £000 
			 England 
			  Total reported investment 
			  2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 
			 Total 6,628,570.71 6,550,146.26 6,001,114.96 5,849,105.67 
		
	
	
		
			 £000 
			 London Strategic Health Authority 
			  Total reported investment 
			  2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 
			 London 1,429,536 1,460,282 1,417,266 1,310,395 
		
	
	
		
			 £000 
			 Haringey Primary Care Trust 
			  Total reported investment 
			  2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 
			 Haringey 42,215.71 50,269.19 45,979.99 44,167.64

Mental Health Services

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the additional £500 million allocated to accident and emergency departments most under pressure will be allocated to mental health crisis services in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Haringey.

Norman Lamb: As announced on 10 September, we have allocated £250 million of funding to NHS England to help cope with winter pressures (with another £250 million for 2014-15). This money will be distributed by NHS England to the areas that need it most in 2013-14 and to be targeted as follows:
	£221 million for the 53 high risk trusts;
	£15 million towards securing a reliable NHS 111 service throughout the winter period; and
	£14 million as a contingency for use for final settlements for trusts to use in the winter.
	Decisions on which trusts to concentrate the resources for the upcoming winter were made jointly by NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority.
	The Department does not hold any information on how much of this money may be allocated to mental health crisis services in England, London and Haringey. Money will be spent in line with locally agreed plans.

Mental Health Services: Haringey

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on increasing bed capacity within mental health treatments in Haringey;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the August 2013 CQC report on St Ann's Hospital, Haringey and its finding of bed shortages in the hospital.

Norman Lamb: Mental health and well-being is a priority for this Government. The overarching goal is to ensure that mental health has equal priority with physical health, and that everyone who needs it has timely access to the best available treatment.
	We will hold the national health service to account for the quality of services and outcomes for mental health patients through the NHS Outcomes Framework.
	However, the policy for bed capacity within mental health units is matter for the local NHS.
	The NHS Trust Development Authority has advised us that Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust has taken action to address the shortage of beds as identified in the recent Care Quality Commission Report. We understand that the trust has opened an additional 14 bedded adult acute mental health ward and employed a dedicated bed management team to meet current demand.

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many fitness to practice cases received by the Nursing and Midwifery Council before January 2011 are still active;
	(2)  what average time is taken by the Nursing and Midwifery Council to (a) investigate and (b) adjudicate on fitness to practice cases;
	(3)  how many fitness to practice cases currently open with the Nursing and Midwifery Council have been investigated by a person who is not a fully qualified solicitor or barrister;
	(4)  what the current average time taken by the Nursing and Midwifery Council to resolve a fitness to practice case is.

Daniel Poulter: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the regulator for nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom working in the public interest to safeguard the health and well-being of the public.
	The NMC is an independent body and responsible for matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties, including pursuing fitness to practice (FtP) investigations against its registrants. Statistical information about NMC FtP cases is not routinely collected or held centrally. However, departmental officials have contacted the NMC and the following information has been provided.
	As at 30 September 2013, there were 56 FtP cases received by the NMC before January 2011 that were still active.
	As at August 2013, the average time taken by the NMC to (a) investigate FtP cases was 8.4 months and (b) adjudicate FtP cases was 7.1 months.
	The NMC reports that FtP cases are investigated by both legally qualified and non-legally qualified case investigation officers and external law firms. The NMC does not hold statistical information on whether FtP cases are investigated by fully qualified solicitors or barristers.
	As at September 2013, the average time taken by the NMC to resolve a FtP was 15 months.

School Milk

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential need for contractors administering the Nursery Milk scheme to sub-contract deliveries in certain areas.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has set out possible options for the operation .of the Nursery Milk Scheme, including how an option of central supply by a contractor or consortium of contractors might deliver the scheme, in its consultation ‘Next Steps for Nursery Milk’, published in 2012. An impact assessment accompanying the consultation was published at the same time. A copy of the consultation document has already been placed in the Library.
	A decision on the future operation of the Nursery Milk Scheme will be taken after full consideration is given to the final impact assessment, the consultation responses and other relevant information.

South London Healthcare NHS Trust

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish his grounds of appeal against the judgment issued by Mr Justice Silber on 31 July 2013 in the High Court regarding the South London Healthcare Trust and Lewisham Hospital.

Norman Lamb: As we are pursuing an appeal against the judicial decision of the High Court, it would not be appropriate to make public the specifics of the case before it is heard in the Court of Appeal.

Warfarin

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  for what reasons information on the number of patients who are on long-term warfarin and use self-monitoring technology is not collected;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of people on long-term warfarin who do not self-monitor their own condition due to the cost of buying the necessary self-monitoring devices;
	(3)  if he will take steps to ensure that International Normalised Ratio self-monitoring technology is available on NHS prescription and accessible to all eligible patients.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England has advised that information on the number of patients who are on warfarin long-term and use self-monitoring technology is not collected as it is difficult for accurate and meaningful information to be gathered and reported. This is due to the way in which self-monitoring technology is available to patients via clinical commissioning groups or purchased privately.
	Neither the Department nor NHS England has made an estimate of the number of people on warfarin who do not self-monitor their own condition due to the cost of buying the necessary self-monitoring devices. However, we understand that the charity Anticoagulation Self-Monitoring Alliance has a number of case studies highlighting instances where this has occurred.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently undertaking an assessment of the self-monitoring technology and will be reporting on its clinical and cost effectiveness in the summer of 2014. Depending on the outcome of this assessment, further evaluation will be taken at the time to determine what action, if any, is required.

TRANSPORT

A303

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the statement by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 27 June 2013, Official Report, column 465, on Investing in Britain's Future, when he expects the study into the dualling of A303 to be completed.

Robert Goodwill: The Department is undertaking six feasibility studies as part of the process of identifying and funding solutions to tackle some of the most notorious and long-standing road hot spots in the country. The studies include work on the problems on the A303/A30/A358 corridor.
	We expect all the studies to have reached conclusions by spring 2015, if not earlier, in order to align with the completion of the Highways Agency's route based strategy process and to inform future investment planning processes.

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Stephen Hammond: During the last 12 months (April 2012 to March 2013) the Department for Transport and its agencies processed 227,847 invoices. This information, together with further details, is available on the Government website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prompt-payment-statistics
	The details are set out beneath the 30 Working Days chart.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Stephen Hammond: As part of the Government's Transparency Agenda information about Department for Transport properties is published on the data.gov.uk website. The information the hon. Member has requested at (a) and (b) above is available from the following link:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims
	Information on the value of property in London is not centrally recorded and this information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Caravans: Testing

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans he has to introduce a road worthiness test requirement for caravans;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the European Commission's proposal to introduce an MOT test requirement for caravans.

Robert Goodwill: The Department has no plans to introduce roadworthiness test requirements for caravans. Additionally the Department does not support the European Parliament's Transport Committee proposals to introduce such testing as the road safety benefits are considered negligible. We are yet to make a substantive assessment of the costs as the proposal is subject to significant change in scope. Moreover it is my intention that we will continue to strongly oppose such a measure. The police conduct roadside checks on caravans if they have concerns as to their roadworthiness.

Cycling: South Downs National Park

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to promote cycling in the South Downs National Park.

Robert Goodwill: In June 2012, the Government announced £3.81 million of funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund between 2012 and 2015 for a partnership bid between the South Downs and New Forest National Parks to significantly improve access to and within both national parks, through encouraging visitors to travel by sustainable modes, including cycling.
	In August 2013, the South Downs National Park was successful in securing an additional £3.81 million contribution from the Department for Transport specifically for cycling.

Great Western Railway Line

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what report he has received from First Great Western on the reasons for 500 passengers being kept on a stranded train in Wiltshire for nearly six hours on 5 August 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: This was a serious issue that affected many passengers. Operational matters of this nature are, in the first instance, a matter for the train operator and Network Rail. First Great Western are conducting a full investigation with a view to learning lessons from this incident We have received verbal updates from First Great Western.

GRS Facilities Support Services

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many formal complaints his Department has received relating to GRS (Support Services) in each month of the last three years.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Total number of formal complaints 
			 2011 (1)1 
			 2012 (2)2 
			 2013 (1)1 
			 (1) July (2) June and November

London-Brighton Railway Line

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps (a) his Department and (b) Network Rail are taking to improve the train service between Brighton and London.

Patrick McLoughlin: The principal improvement in the Department's rail investment strategy is the completion of the Thameslink programme which will increase capacity between Brighton and London and offer frequent services to the City of London and St Pancras International.
	Network Rail is carrying out a study to assess the potential for further capacity improvements to be made to the Brighton main line in Control Period 6 (2019 to 2024).

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not make assessments of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.
	However, our model contract document terms and conditions make clear that suppliers are expected to perform their obligations under the contract in accordance with the law. The payment of minimum wage is a legal requirement.

Railways: Tickets

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to require rail companies to replace lost or stolen weekly train tickets when the owner of the ticket can produce a valid receipt of purchase.

Stephen Hammond: This is not a matter for the Secretary of State to consider but one for the train operating companies. The arrangements for replacing lost or stolen rail season tickets are set out in Condition 34 of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Stephen Hammond: The level of expenditure by the Department on contracts with Telereal Trillium, in each year since 2008, is shown as follows.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008-09 19,304 
			 2009-10 26,373 
			 2010-11 20,048 
			 2011-12 18,661 
			 2012-13 22,812 
		
	
	These figures are exclusive of VAT.

Walking: Children

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what activities his Department undertook to support Walk to School Week in May 2013.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport supports Walk to School week as an excellent opportunity for schools to engage with children and parents and encourage walking to school. The then Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), spoke at the parliamentary launch of Walk to School week this year and met children from a number of schools that had achieved success in making it easier to walk to school.

Walking: Children

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how his Department is working with the Department for Education to encourage more children to walk to school.

Robert Goodwill: Since 2010, Department for Transport and Department for Education Ministers and officials have met regularly to discuss matters of shared interest, including sustainable travel.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average proportion of household expenditure on energy bills in Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: Over the period from 2009 to 2011, the average proportion of household expenditure on energy bills in Wales was 5.4%. In terms of pounds and pence, this is an average spend of £21.50 per household, per week.
	These figures include expenditure on electricity, gas and other household fuels, but exclude expenditure on petrol and diesel. They are based on data from the Living Costs and Food Survey, which is run by the Office for National Statistics. Due to the small number of households in Wales within the survey, results are averaged across a three year period.

Green Deal Scheme

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to lower the interest rate on Green Deal finance packages.

Gregory Barker: The interest rate offered by The Green Deal Finance Company (6.96%) is competitive and realistically reflects the risk of lending. The rate is available to over 80% of the population, and remains fixed for loan lengths up to 25 years. Alternative unsecured loan products, at such a low rate, for such durations, are not accessible to the vast majority of the population.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons his Department introduced version three of the Green Deal code of practice and revoked the previous version that was issued on 25 January 2013.

Gregory Barker: The code of practice is a key part of the Green Deal framework and all authorised participants must adhere to it. It sets out detailed operational requirements for authorised participants and therefore requires updating as the Green Deal and the market evolve to ensure it is fit for purpose.
	The third version included a number of changes, including clarifications around requirements for advertising, handling of complaints, the production of advice reports, issuing financial statements in relation to Green Deal plans and insurance backing for guarantees. The Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body has a summary of the changes on its website:
	http://gdorb.decc.gov.uk/code-of-practice

Natural Gas: Imports

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of gas imports to the UK come from each country.

Michael Fallon: Data on gas imports are published in Table 4.4 of Energy Trends and are available on the DECC website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gas-section-4-energy-trends
	Data for 2012 UK imports of natural gas are published as follows:
	
		
			 Table 1: Sources of UK Natural Gas Imports for 2012 
			   Cubic metres (billion) % of total imports % pipeline/LNG 
			 By pipeline from: Belgium 1.310 2.7 (1)72.2 
			  Netherlands 7.297 14.9 (1)— 
			  Norway 26.832 54.6 (1)— 
			      
			 LNG Qatar 13.335 27.2 (2)27.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Algeria 0.119 0.2 (2)— 
			  Egypt 0.013 0.0 (2)— 
			  Nigeria 0.043 0.1 (2)— 
			  Norway 0.156 0.3 (2)— 
			 (1) Indicates a brace. (2) Indicates a brace.

Power Stations

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2013, Official Report, column 824W, on power stations, what recent steps have been taken by his Department to offer incentives to the owners of such power stations not to dismantle them; whether an examination has been made of the emergency generating potential of Fawley Power Station; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: DECC, National Grid and Ofgem have been working together to explore options to provide additional safeguards against the increased risk to mid-decade security of electricity supply.
	To this end, National Grid is currently consulting on new system balancing services which, if approved by Ofgem, would enable National Grid to procure additional capacity in the winter of 2014-15 and 2015-16. To ensure economic efficiency the amount of capacity needed would be procured through a competitive process. This would offer opportunities for plant which might otherwise have closed or which is currently mothballed, but does not seek to target or favour any one particular plant.
	In addition, the Capacity Market will be initiated in 2014, subject to state aid approval. This will ensure sufficient capacity is available in the medium term, and will also seek to incentivise participation of the most economically efficient plant, which could include plant that is currently mothballed.
	RWE closed its Fawley oil-fired plant in March 2013. The current generating potential of the power station is a matter for the company.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what provisions of the Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment 2 apply to offshore wind energy sites developed in the Round 3 tranche.

Gregory Barker: The UK Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment (OESEA), published in January 2009, concluded that there were no overriding environmental considerations to prevent the achievement of up to 33 GW of offshore wind capacity in UK waters. This conclusion was subject to mitigation measures being implemented to prevent, reduce and offset significant adverse effects. On this basis, the level of development in the Round 3 offshore wind programme was deemed to be acceptable.
	In 2011, a further strategic environmental assessment reinforced the conclusions of the previous assessment.
	While the overall impacts of additional offshore wind capacity have been assessed at a strategic level as part of the OESEA, any proposal to build an offshore wind farm is still subject to project level assessment, including environmental impact assessment, which will address location-specific effects.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what guidance his Department has issued on the distance that offshore wind farms should be placed from the coast.

Gregory Barker: The Department has not issued guidance on the distance that offshore wind farms should be placed from the coast.
	Issues relevant to the siting of offshore wind farms in English and Welsh waters are considered in the Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) and the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure (EN-3), which were designated under the Planning Act 2008 in July 2011. EN-1 and EN-3 set the policy context for the development of nationally significant energy infrastructure, including offshore wind farms of greater than 100 MW capacity. Relevant issues will be considered as part of the application process for any offshore wind farm projects that come forward.

SCOTLAND

Business

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many small businesses in Scotland have stopped trading since 2010.

Alistair Carmichael: Figures obtained from Companies House show that for all registered companies in Scotland (not split by size) during the financial year 2010-11, 18,800 companies were dissolved, this figure came down to 17,300 in 2011-12, and to 16,300 during 2012-13.
	The full Companies House data referred to may be accessed at:
	http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/pdf/companiesRegActivities2012_2013.pdf
	There is no requirement for unregistered business to report if they stop trading.
	According to Scottish Government, ONS figures, the overall number of Registered Enterprises in Scotland, employing fewer than 50 people was 149,130 in 2010. This number had increased to 153,695 by 2012.

Business

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many small business start-ups there have been in Scotland in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alistair Carmichael: The latest data compiled by the Committee of Scottish Bankers reported that the number of new businesses in Scotland was 13,856 for the year ending 2012. The figures for quarter 1 of 2013 are 2,974 and for quarter 2 of 2013 are 3,143.
	The full CSBC data referred to may be accessed at:
	http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/media/new_business_stats_full_year_2012.pdf
	According to Scottish Government, ONS figures, the overall number of Registered Enterprises in Scotland, employing fewer than 50 people, was 149,130 in 2010. This number had increased to 153,695 by 2012.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available.

Alistair Carmichael: The Scotland Office spent £2,930 on external lawyers' fees in 2012-13.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Coleraine

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she is taking in conjunction with the Secretary of State for Transport to ensure the retention of Northern Ireland's Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency office at Coleraine; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: I have had a number of discussions with Department for Transport colleagues on this matter who have assured me that they will consider carefully all the relevant factors before reaching a decision. I met the Northern Ireland Minister for the Environment today and we discussed the matter further.
	The supplementary consultation into the future of the Driver Vehicle Agency in Northern Ireland closed on 11 September and responses are being analysed. This is a matter for the Department for Transport and it is not for me to prejudge the outcome of the consultation.

Northern Ireland Government

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate she has made of the overall cost to the public purse of hosting the Haass talks in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The All-Party Group chaired by Dr Richard Haass is an initiative of the five political parties which make up the Northern Ireland Executive. This process is being funded by the Northern Ireland Executive rather than directly by the UK Government.
	We do not therefore hold the information sought.

TREASURY

Alternative Investment Market

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on alleged manipulation of the AIM share market.

Sajid Javid: The Treasury has received a very small number of representations regarding alleged manipulation of the AIM share market.
	AIM is currently subject to the UK's Market Abuse regime which implements, but also goes beyond, the requirements of the EU-wide Market Abuse Directive (MAD). The UK measures capture both market manipulation and insider dealing.

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he will take to monitor the benefits to consumers of current account switching.

Sajid Javid: The Independent Commission on Banking (ICB), set up by this Government, recommended the introduction of a new current account switching service to tackle the lack of competition in this market. The Government moved quickly to implement this recommendation, securing a commitment from the Payments Council, on behalf of the banking industry, to deliver a new switching service by September 2013. The banks have met this commitment, launching a seven day current account switching service last month. This service has been designed to meet all of the ICB's concerns, covers nearly 100% of the competitive current account market, and is free and quick to use.
	The Government is closely monitoring the seven day switching service to ensure the banks continue to deliver on their commitment. It has asked the Payments Council to publish data on volumes of switching, levels of awareness, and confidence in the service on a quarterly basis.

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to establish minimum standards for basic bank accounts.

Sajid Javid: The Government is committed to improving access to financial services for individuals.
	The Government noted the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards recommendation that the major banks should come to a voluntary agreement on minimum standards for basic bank accounts. The Government is taking forward discussions with the banking sector and will provide further detail in due course.

Financial Services: Regulation

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the response to his Department's consultation, A new approach to financial regulation: transferring consumer credit regulation to the Financial Conduct Authority, will be published.

Sajid Javid: The response to the consultation regarding the transfer of consumer credit regulation to the Financial Conduct Authority was published on 27 June of this year.

Income Tax

Andrew Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals no longer pay income tax in (a) the smallest geographical area including Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency for which information is available and (b) England as a result of the increase in the personal income tax allowance since May 2010.

David Gauke: The cumulative effect of the Government's increases in the personal allowance for those aged under 65 years (born after 5 April 1948 from 2013-14 tax year) since 2010-11 take 2..4 million people out of the income tax system by April 2013 and 2-7 million people out of the income tax system by April 2014.
	(a) The smallest geographical area for which reliable estimates can be provided is at Government Office Region (GOR). Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency is within Yorkshire and the Humber GOR. The number of individuals in Yorkshire and the Humber who no longer pay tax is 208,000 by April 2013 and 230,000 by April 2014.
	(b) The number of individuals in England who no longer pay tax is 2.0 million by April 2013 and 2.2 million by April 2014.
	These estimates are based on the 2010-11 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2013-14 and 2014-15 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2013 economic and fiscal outlook.
	Estimates at the parliamentary constituency level are not published.

Minimum Wage

David Lammy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average sum in wage arrears in respect of cases where HM Revenue and Customs has taken action to enforce the provisions of national minimum wage legislation was in the (a) hospitality, (b) retail, (c) social care, (d) cleaning, (e) leisure, (f) hairdressing, (g) food processing, (h) agriculture, (i) textiles, (j) security and (k) construction sectors was in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them, investigating the complaint and, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where they identify a high risk of non-payment of NMW. HMRC targets and fast tracks those complaints that involve the most vulnerable workers such as interns, apprentices and migrant workers, and those relating to the riskiest sectors such as cleaning, retail, hairdressing and social care, in order to ensure that workers receive the wages to which they are entitled.
	HMRC records information by Standard Industry Codes. The table shows the average sum in wage arrears for 2012-13 broken down by the closest Standard Industry Code (SIC) for the hospitality, retail, construction and agriculture sectors. HMRC does not have specific breakdowns for the other sectors. Activities commonly understood to be in those sectors fall into a number of other broader SICs.
	HMRC contacts every employer whom it finds has paid workers below the national minimum wage to confirm that they have paid the identified arrears to the workers. In addition, where it has found arrears for five or fewer workers it will contact all the workers to confirm payment by the employer. In cases involving arrears for more than five workers it will contact a minimum sample of five workers to confirm payment by the employer.
	
		
			 Standard Industry Code Group Workers for whom arrears identified Value of arrears identified (£) Average arrears per worker (£) 
			 Hospitality 3,277 320,055 98 
			 Retail 10,804 561,575 52 
			 Agriculture, Forestry And Fishing 11 5,890 535 
			 Construction 142 111,977 789

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the share of demand for the Help to Boy mortgage guarantee scheme that will come from applications for properties in (a) Greater London and (b) the rest of England; and if he will publish the expected regional demand for the scheme throughout its lifetime.

Sajid Javid: The Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme is available throughout the UK to potential home owners who can afford repayments on a high LTV mortgage, but are unable to save up for the large deposits currently required in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The Government has made £12 billion of guarantees available, which is sufficient to support £130 billion worth of mortgages across the UK.

Poppy Mitchell-Rose

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions Ms Poppy Mitchell-Rose has been registered as a visitor to his Department's main building since November 2012.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 8 October 2013
	The information requested has been withheld under section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act, as the information constitutes personal data relating to a third party that they would not expect to be made public.
	Disclosure of this information is likely to breach the first data protection principle in schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act, which relates to the fair and lawful processing of personal data.

Poverty: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish any assessment he has made of the effects on child poverty of changes in levels of public expenditure between 2009-10 and 2014-15.

Sajid Javid: The Government has protected poor and vulnerable groups as far as possible while urgently taking action to tackle the deficit it inherited.
	Work remains the best and most immediate way out of poverty and the Budget took action to support families and make the tax and welfare system fairer, including further increasing the income tax personal allowance to take 2.7 million people on low incomes out of tax altogether.
	In addition, the Government has sought a wide range of views as part of a consultation on better measures of child poverty which include, but go beyond, income to provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty. The consultation has now dosed and the Government will respond in due course.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury fully complies with EU procurement directives and awards contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer. Nevertheless, we have encouraged contractors to commit to paying a living wage and expect all employers to pay at least the national minimum wage.
	Government has encouraged contractors by publicly expressing support to paying the London living wage where it is possible to do so.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is undertaking a review of zero hours policy and practice and in the light of this work the Cabinet Office will determine whether any changes need to be made to UK procurement policy. HM Treasury will comply with any Government policy that may be implemented and promoted post this review.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury has spent £127,737.32 on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences from January 2013. The Treasury only prints documents when required by Parliament to produce hard copies. The Treasury is unable to provide an estimate on expenditure of documents prior to January 2013 as records do not distinguish between print and other associated costs, and so are not readily available. To provide such information would involve disproportionate costs,
	Since October 2010 the Treasury has significantly cut down what it prints as opposed to online, focusing printing only on meeting constitutional duties to Parliament. The Treasury has shifted to making greater use of more cost-efficient communications channels.

Revenue and Customs

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many staff took HM Revenue and Customs to tribunal in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(2)  how many claims of mismanagement were received by HM Revenue and Customs from staff in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

David Gauke: The number of employment tribunal claims received by HMRC from staff in the calendar years from 2007 to 2012 are as follows:
	
		
			  Number of claims 
			 2007 162 
			 2008 185 
			 2009 195 
			 2010 143 
			 2011 193 
			 2012 155 
		
	
	Data on the number of claims of mismanagement received by HMRC from staff could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 12 September 2013, Official Report, column 824W, on HM Revenue and Customs, what his Department's current plans are for full-time equivalent numbers at HM Revenue and Customs in each area of its activity on 31 March in each year between 2014 and 2016.

David Gauke: Following the spending review (SR) 2013 announcement in June, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is currently engaged in detailed planning and impacting activity around its workforce plans for each area of activity up to 2016.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nicky Morgan: The Treasury does not subscribe to premium satellite services.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of uprating pensions in line with inflation for UK pensioners living in non-EU countries.

Sajid Javid: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 159W.

Taxation: Bingo

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the implications of a reduction in bingo duty on (a) jobs and (b) the wider economy.

Sajid Javid: The Government keeps all taxes, including bingo duty, under review.

Taxation: Housing

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has carried out into the effects of a mansion tax in reducing property values; whether any such research was taken account of in the estimate of average mansion tax liability of £36,000; and if any estimate has been made of reduction in revenue arising from (a) stamp duty level tax and (b) inheritance tax as a result of the introduction of a mansion tax.

David Gauke: The Treasury and HMRC have not carried out in depth research into the effects of a mansion tax in reducing property values; however it is expected that the imposition of a new annual levy would reduce the price of properties within scope of the tax.
	A mansion tax would be expected to depress stamp duty land tax and inheritance tax yields. The exact impact would be dependent on the rates and bands chosen.

Taxation: International Cooperation

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the agreement made at the G8 Summit in June 2013, what steps he is taking to introduce a legal and operational framework to underpin information exchange.

David Gauke: In anticipation of much greater levels of automatic tax information exchange the legislation in the Finance Act 2013 to implement the UK's- automatic exchange agreement with the US already provides for future similar agreements. The OECD has now been asked to develop the new standard on automatic exchange by February 2014. Once this is complete we will assess what further legislative underpinning is required.

Taxation: International Cooperation

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the agreement made at the G8 Summit in June 2013, which information he now expects to be exchanged between states on preventing tax evasion.

David Gauke: The OECD was asked to produce a report for the Prime Minister, as president of the G8, on setting a new standard in the automatic exchange of information between tax authorities to tackle offshore evasion. The G8 firmly backed the report.
	The report made clear that the new automatic information exchange standard will include details of financial accounts held offshore, such as details of the account holder's name, address, date of birth, account number, account balance and details of payments made into the account. This will provide a step change in the international community's ability to tackle tax evasion. The G20 has now asked the OECD to finalise the standard by February 2014.

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury has incurred no expenditure on contracts with Trillium Group in any year since 2008.

Welfare Tax Credits

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the costs incurred by HM Revenue and Customs in administering tax credits; and what estimate he has made of the costs incurred in correcting errors.

Nicky Morgan: The annual costs involved with administering the tax credit system is presented in the following table.
	
		
			 Period Business area Total gross expenditure (£) 
			 2012-13 Tax credits 429,534,680 
			 2011-12 Tax credits 469,725,522 
			 2010-11 Tax credits 495,209,042 
			 2009-10 Tax credits 562,682,793 
		
	
	No information is held centrally on the costs incurred in correcting errors.

Welfare Tax Credits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the annual savings resulting from use of the Feast system for automated detection of fraud and error in tax credit applications.

David Gauke: I refer the right hon. Member to Figure 7 on page 21 of the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, “Tackling tax credits error and fraud”, published on 14 February 2014.
	http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Tax-credits-errors-full-report.pdf
	FEAST is currently on track to deliver against the original business case.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bahrain

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with the Bahraini government the treatment in custody of Rihanna Al Mosawi.

Hugh Robertson: Rihanna Al Mosawi was charged with activities relating to terrorism following her arrest on 20 April 2013 at the Grand Prix circuit. On 16 July the main opposition party in Bahrain issued a statement regarding Rihanna Al Mosawi, in which it was detailed that the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) had started an investigation into allegations she had been mistreated while in detention. Part of the investigation included being checked by a forensic doctor. We believe the SIU investigation is now closed, and there have been no further allegations of mistreatment. The UK takes all allegations of mistreatment against detainees seriously. We expect the Government of Bahrain to meet all of its human rights obligations and adhere to international standards.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11.

David Lidington: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 42W, regarding the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) refurbishment expenditure for the period 2011-13.
	During the period 2010-11, The FCO completed the following refurbishments to its buildings:
	
		
			 Location Description Cost 2010-11 (£) 
			    
			 Kingston External building refurbishment 3,339,000 
			 Dubai Space reconfiguration 250,000 
			 Abu Dhabi Security related Reconfiguration 300,000 
			 Baku Blast protection works 3,717,000 
			 Accra Office electrical rewire 216,000 
			 New Delhi Office refurbish as part of DFID co-location 621,000 
			 New Delhi Air conditioner upgrade on compound 25,000 
			 UK Old Admiralty Building training and assessment centre 1,006,000 
			 UK King Charles Street new office space redevelopment 389,000 
			 UK Hanslope Park redevelopment of storage rooms and offices in buildings 70-71 1,329,000 
			 UK Renewal of A/C cooling towers 2,766,00 
			 UK King Charles street nursery kitchen upgrade 19,516 
			 UK Hanslope Park extension and refurbish existing toilets in building to accommodate more staff 15,185 
			 UK Hanslope Park upgrade to offices include new ceilings, lights, doors 19,251 
			 UK Hanslope Park PM Costs for the refurbishment of commercial kitchen building 13,706 
			 UK Refurbishment of commercial kitchen building 8 for H&S and statutory compliance 264,417 
		
	
	The figures show the spend in year only not total project cost.
	There will have been other small refurbishments in overseas offices which will have been funded by the respective embassy or high commission budget. To gather details on these would represent disproportionate cost.
	(b) During this period, the FCO non-departmental public bodies completed the following refurbishments:
	British Council:
	The British Council holds 250 commercial properties in 112 countries, predominantly leaseholds. The majority are offices and centres either for teaching or for the supervision of exams. Any decisions on refurbishment across the commercial estate are determined locally, on a range of criteria that includes business needs, security issues and cost-effectiveness. Data on the costs of refurbishment across the whole global estate could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.
	FCO Services:
	FCO Services spent the following on office refurbishments in each year since 2010-11:
	2010-11: £262,948.89—Spend on refurbishment of Hanslope Park (HP) 15, HP23, HP70 and HP71 (first floor).
	2011-12: £628,658.38—Spend on refurbishment of HP15 and HP20.
	2012-13: £20,982.00—Release of cost provisions on agreement of final accounts for HP15 and HP20.
	Five buildings were refurbished during these years, enabling workshops to be relocated to more appropriate and accessible space on the site. Restoration work was also undertaken on a grade 2 listed building including the removal of partitions and the replacement of windows to enable the space to be used for a wide variety of functions. Where work was carried out, it was to improve work flows, lighting levels, and seating capacity, as well as to address some health and safety issues.

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has raised the case of Daw Bawk Ja with his Burmese counterpart.

Hugo Swire: Officials from the embassy in Rangoon raised Daw Bawk Ja's case with senior members of the Burmese Government in August. We continue to follow her case closely and remain in touch with local Burmese organisations that support her and the many other political prisoners that remain detained.
	As I set out to the House, we welcome the release of over 50 political prisoners announced on 8 October. This is a further step towards fulfilling the commitment, made by Burmese President Thein Sein during his visit to London in July, to release all remaining political prisoners by the end of this year.
	We continue to call on the Government to ensure that democratic activists are able to voice their opinions freely and without fear of arrest. We have also urged both the Government and the Parliament to repeal all existing laws which are not in line with democratic standards. Repealing these repressive laws will be vital for Burma as it continues on its path to greater democracy.

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by his Department on offsetting costs for energy-related carbon dioxide in the last year for which figures are available.

David Lidington: In its 2012-13 accounts, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) set aside £26,419 for purchasing estimated carbon offsets for 2012-13. This figure includes an adjustment to reconcile estimated emissions in the fourth quarter of 2011-12 and also an estimate for 2012-13 fourth quarter flight emissions. The figure is based on an estimated carbon offset price.
	The FCO intends to purchase Government carbon offsetting facility offset credits in order to offset carbon emissions from flights originating in the UK taken by FCO staff who are travelling on official business.

Commonwealth

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Commonwealth countries (a) grant and (b) do not grant resident British citizens the right to vote in general elections in those countries.

Hugo Swire: British citizens are eligible to vote in national elections in:
	Dominica, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and Grenadines (after residing there for one year);
	Barbados (after residing there for three years);
	Antigua and Barbuda, Malawi (after they have been resident for seven years);
	Trinidad and Tobago (after they have permanent residential status).
	British citizens cannot vote in national elections in:
	Australia, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, the Gambia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to integrate the preventing sexual violence in conflict initiative in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mark Simmonds: Tackling the issue of sexual violence in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is central to resolving the conflict, building peace in the region, and tackling the culture of impunity. This was highlighted by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), during his visit in March this year. The UK is working on the ground in DRC with other donors and the UN Mission to integrate the PSVI into health and security sector programmes. Specific examples are an expert in a hospital in eastern DRC and funding to teach new Congolese army recruits about human rights, including the fight against sexual violence and impunity. We are also pressing for a strengthened Sexual Violence Unit within the UN Mission to lead the UN wider effort in country to tackle sexual violence. However, it is vital that the DRC leads the efforts to tackle sexual violence. To that end, we welcome the DRC's endorsement of the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, launched by the Secretary of State at the UN General Assembly last month. The Declaration has been endorsed by 132 countries.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mark Simmonds: My most recent discussions with my international counterparts on implementation of the Peace, Security and Co-operation Framework for eastern Democratic Republic of Congo were held in New York in the margins of the UN General Assembly from 23-27 September. We welcomed the commitments made at the recent meeting of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region on 13 September. We also encouraged the early involvement of the international donor community in drafting the benchmarks that would underpin and measure progress in implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Congolese Government regarding oil exploration in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mark Simmonds: The UK embassy in Kinshasa has raised oil exploration in the Virunga National Park at various levels in the Democratic Republic of Congo Government. We have made clear to them that we oppose oil exploration in this world heritage site on UNESCO's "in danger" list.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on drilling for oil in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mark Simmonds: The UK continues to oppose oil exploration in the Virunga National Park. The park is a world heritage site listed by UNESCO as being “in danger”.

European Union

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Balance of Competences review.

David Lidington: The Balance of Competences Review is part of the coalition agreement to analyse and examine the UK's relationship with the European Union (EU). It is an analytical, transparent and evidence based process that will provide an informed and objective analysis of what EU membership means for the UK. It will look at the EU's competences, how they are used and what that means for Britain and our national interest. This extensive piece of work has never been attempted before and requires time to do justice to the complexity of the issues and interests at stake. Substantive consultation and reflection by Departments involved began in autumn 2012 and the overall review will conclude by the end of 2014.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) set out the scope and objectives of the review in his statement of 12 July 2012, Official Report, column 468.
	The review is on track. The first group of reports covering an overview of the single market, health, development co-operation and humanitarian aid, foreign policy, animal health and welfare and food safety, and taxation were published on 22 July 2013. These received a good range of high quality evidence from a broad spectrum of contributors, including business, think tanks, civil society organisations and other bodies with experience of what our EU membership means in practice. The reports analysed the EU's ability to act in specific areas, including the impact on the national interest and future challenges. By bringing together all the evidence in one place, they are designed to broaden and deepen public understanding but are not intended to pre-judge future policy making and so are not asked to make specific recommendations. It will be for political parties and others to decide what policy conclusions to draw from the evidence presented in the reports.
	Calls for evidence for the next nine reports closed at the end of the summer and have attracted a similarly high level of contributions. These reports will be published this winter. Calls for evidence and reports relating to the remaining 17 competence areas will be published during the course of 2013-14. Once complete, the exercise will provide the most extensive analysis of the impact of EU membership on the UK ever undertaken—an analysis which is currently absent. It will ensure that our national debate is grounded in knowledge of the facts and will provide a vital aid for policy making. Published reports and calls for evidence can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/review-of-the-balance-of-competences

Israel

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has received reports by Military Court Watch dated (a) 20 May, (b) 25 June, (c) 25 July and (d) 28 August 2013.

Hugh Robertson: I can confirm that Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have seen the reports referred to in the question.

Israel

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the ages of Palestinian children held in Israeli prisons.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold the information requested.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2013, Official Report, column 355W, on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, when he plans to make specific guidance on human rights issues in overseas markets available on the Overseas Business Risk Service website.

Hugh Robertson: The Overseas Business Risk website already contains a human rights section. We are in the process of developing the country specific pages on the site, including country specific advice to businesses on human rights issues, bribery and security (including terrorism threat).

Pakistan

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation of the Hazara community in Pakistan.

Hugh Robertson: We remain concerned about violence faced by the Hazara population in Pakistan and continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to protect and guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens. The Hazara are mainly located around the city of Quetta in Balochistan and have been the target of attacks by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group who have also targeted the wider Shia community.
	On 4 February this year, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), took the House of Commons Adjournment Debate on this issue. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised issues of religious freedom during his visit to Pakistan in July. On 3 September, the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, met with the Chair of the Hazara All Party Parliamentary Group and representatives of the UK Hazara community. Our concerns about the treatment of the Hazara community in Pakistan are expressed in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Annual Human Rights Report.

Palestinians

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of the reactivation of the EU Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point.

Hugh Robertson: The EU stands ready to reactivate EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) Rafah as soon as political and security conditions allow. An EU strategic review of the mission is due to take place by spring 2014 where all further options for the mission will be explored. In the interim, EUBAM Rafah will continue to ensure the mission's readiness to return to the Rafah Crossing Point at short notice, and will continue to liaise with the parties on a regular basis.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to ensuring contracts are awarded on the basis of the best value for money for the British tax payer. We expect our contractors to comply with the law, which in the UK would include employers paying at least the national minimum wage. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not use zero-hour contracts.

Religious Freedom

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the number of attacks on individuals in the world where the primary cause is due to the individual's (a) atheism, (b) humanism or (c)  lack of religious belief.

David Lidington: We condemn all attacks against individuals, anywhere in the world, on the grounds of their faith or belief (including atheists, humanists or those without religious belief) regardless of the country, faith or belief concerned. We do not ourselves track the number of attacks against specific religious or faith groups but are aware of a reported rise in the number of prosecutions of atheists for alleged criticism of religion on social media. FCO officials meet monthly with the British Humanist Association, the International Humanist and Ethical Union and the European Humanist Federation to understand their current concerns and to examine how we can better work together to promote the universal commitment to the freedom of religion or belief. My noble Friend Baroness Warsi also recently met with the British Humanist Association to discuss the global situation with regards to the freedom of thought or conscience.

Syria

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on whether the United Nations chemical weapons inspection team in Syria (a) discovered and (b) sampled any non-weaponised chemical agents.

Hugh Robertson: The findings of the UN inspection mission are set out in their report of 16 September 2013. The team had a specific mandate to investigate the allegations of the use of chemical weapons, and the report confirms that chemical weapons were used in the attacks on Ghouta on 21 August 2013. No mention is made in the report of the team having sought, discovered, or sampled any non-weaponised chemical agents.

Syria

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which laboratories the analysis of possible chemical weapons agents collected in Syria by the UN inspection team was conducted.

Hugh Robertson: The published letter of 13 September 2013 from Professor Sellstrom to the UN Secretary-General covering the findings of the UN inspection mission indicated that analysis was undertaken in four Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) designated laboratories in Finland, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Syria

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any UK officials were present during the analysis of the samples of possible chemical weapons material collected in Syria.

Hugh Robertson: The collection and analysis of material pertaining to the UN inspection mission was carried out in accordance with Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) protocols. No UK officials were present.

Syria

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of whether the Saudi Arabian Government has supplied some rebel groups in Syria with chemicals that could be weaponised.

Hugh Robertson: We have seen no evidence that Saudi Arabia has supplied rebel groups in Syria with chemicals that could be weaponised.

Terrorism: Finance

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the financial contribution of the illegal wildlife trade to international terrorism.

Mark Simmonds: We are working with international partners to understand and assess the links, including financial, between the illegal wildlife trade and terrorist groups, in advance of a London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade to be held in February 2014.

West Africa

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department is giving to improve the operation of the rule of law and standards of law enforcement in West Africa.

Mark Simmonds: The FCO's Drugs and Crime Fund allocated £317,837.50 to projects in West Africa in 2013-14. FCO is chairing the G8 Friends of the Gulf of Guinea Group to support regional efforts to improve maritime security. FCO is also funding discrete projects that build the capacity of west African countries to improve maritime security and counter terrorism.
	In addition FCO works closely with Home Office, Department for International Development (DFID) and Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) (post 7 October the National Crime Agency) to support their activities in this field.

Western Sahara

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Polisario on the new protocol of the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement and the inclusion of the waters off Western Sahara within that protocol.

Hugh Robertson: British Ministers do not have direct contact with the Polisario Front. The new Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with the Kingdom of Morocco was negotiated by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union. The FPA between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco has not yet been agreed. We expect the European Commission to publish proposals in the near future. Those proposals will be considered by both the Council and the European Parliament prior to adoption.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Waste Sites: Fires

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fires there have been at waste sites in England regulated by the Environment Agency in the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the environmental and health effects of those fires.

Dan Rogerson: Between 2008 and 2012 there were 1,390 fire incidents at regulated waste sites. Of these, 122, or 9%, were recorded as having a major or significant impact on people and the environment. The Environment Agency responds to fire incidents at waste sites and works with the fire service and Public Health England to minimise the impact of fires on people and the environment. Where fires are caused by a breach of the environmental permit, the Environment Agency will take appropriate action.

Flood Protection

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many extra properties will be protected from flooding following the 2013 spending round.

Dan Rogerson: At this stage, DEFRA estimates that the 2013 spending round settlement for flood and coastal erosion risk management should enable the Environment Agency and other risk management authorities to improve the standard of protection to around 300,000 households in the six-year period to 2021. DEFRA will review this estimate as specific projects come forward into the programme.

RSPB

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much grant funding his Department provided to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the last financial year.

George Eustice: DEFRA provided funding of £726,075 to the RSPB in the last financial year.

Rural Areas: Broadband

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the importance of broadband to the future of the rural economy.

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the importance of broadband to the future of the rural economy.

Dan Rogerson: The Government has commissioned a review of the impacts of broadband on the UK. The UK Broadband Impact Study will cover economic growth, social outcomes and environmental impacts. The findings of a literature review, which forms the first part of the study, were published in February and found a strong consensus that broadband has a material positive impact on national economies. We expect to publish an impact report next month.

Animal Breeding

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to ensure more responsible breeding of dogs and cats.

George Eustice: The Government is keen to encourage more responsible pet ownership. This includes considering whether there is a need to have your animal neutered. There are currently many charities offering opportunities for low cost or no charge neutering.
	The Government announced earlier in the year a package of measures to encourage more responsible dog ownership. Microchipping of all dogs from 2016 will help tackle poor commercial dog breeding practices.

Avian Influenza

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contingency plans are in place to deal with an outbreak of avian influenza.

George Eustice: DEFRA's Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Disease of Animals sets out our overarching approach for responding to an outbreak of disease in England and has been published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contingency-plan-for-exotic-notifiable-diseases-of-animals--2
	DEFRA monitors animal disease incidence around the world to assess the risk of incursion to the UK, with further domestic surveillance used as an early warning system for avian influenza. This, and our wider strategy for preventing and responding to an outbreak of avian influenza, is covered in our Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69550/pb13701-avian-disease-control-strategy.pdf

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what alternatives to free shooting are being considered to increase the number of badgers culled in the (a) Gloucestershire and (b) Somerset pilot zone.

George Eustice: Controlled shooting and cage-trapping followed by shooting are the only culling methods permitted under licence from Natural England.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the closing dates for the two badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire are.

George Eustice: The pilot badger cull in Somerset concluded on 6 October and that in Gloucestershire is due to conclude on 7 October and 15 October respectively. As set out by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), in a written ministerial statement of 9 October 2013, Official Report, columns 23-24WS, Natural England is currently considering applications for extensions in both cases.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether preparations are being made by his Department to assume full control of the culling of badgers in the Somerset and Gloucestershire pilot zones.

George Eustice: There are no plans for my Department to assume full control of the pilot badger cull in Somerset or Gloucestershire.

Carbon Emissions

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department provides in relation to emission levels where applications are received for new operations in areas breaching air quality management limits.

George Eustice: DEFRA provides guidance on controlling emissions from the wide range of industrial activities which are subject to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010. This is available through the Government's website. It applies in all locations including Air Quality Management Areas.

Fisheries

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the proposal of the Global Ocean Commission for all high seas vessels to carry an International Maritime Organization number and a tracking system to help prevent illegal fishing and aid conservation and sustainable fisheries management.

George Eustice: The UK fully supports the idea that all high seas fishing vessels should carry an International Maritime Organisation number. This is an essential step in the establishment of a Global Record of fishing vessels. We also support the use of satellite tracking systems on such vessels. Both of these would provide important tools in tackling IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing.

Livestock: Transport

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Ports, Harbours and Piers Clauses Act 1847 to allow discretion by individual port authorities to ban or control the live export of animals through a port.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the reply the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr Heath) gave to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field) on 15 May 2013, Official Report, column 247W.

Pesticides

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list (a) the research projects fully funded or partly funded by his Department, (b) the project dates, (c) the report titles and (d) any grants issued for studies into the control of cereal aphids without the use of insecticide sprays or seed treatments since 1997.

George Eustice: A list of completed DEFRA funded and co-funded studies into the control of cereal aphids without the use of insecticides since 1997 are set out in the following table. In addition, there is a current project being undertaken which includes some investigation of the natural enemies of cereal aphids and other pests. Further information on these and other DEFRA funded science and research projects is available at
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk/
	
		
			 Reference Title Cost (£) Dates 
			 Completed studies   
			 CE0401 Damage assessment and forecasting pests on cereals—aphids 939,555 1 April 1991 to 31 March 2000 
			 LK0423 Aphid sex pheromones to enhance parasitoid efficiency 44,905 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1997 
			 CE0408 Identification of a synergistic complex of natural enemies for biocontrol of aphids on cereals 110,000 1 April 1996 to 31 March 2020 
			 CE0409 Identification of a synergistic complex of natural enemies for biocontrol of aphids on cereals 106,000 1 April 1996 to 31 March 2000 
			 LK0803 SEMIOCHEM: Nepeta spp as a non-food, crop-derived feed-stock for the production of semiochemicals for aphid pest 120,351 1 April 1998 to 31 March 2001 
			 AR0304 Forecasting/assessment and decision making for cereal aphids 416,607 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2004 
			 AR0305 Utilising populations of natural enemies for control of cereal aphids 556,546 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2004 
			 AR0318 Habitat diversification and aphid-specific natural enemies in arable ecosystems: optimising crop protection and environmental benefits 768,750 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2007 
			 PS2124 Augmentation, with synergists, of the effect of natural plant activators against pest aphids 143,027 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2009 
			 CE0405 Study of movement and gene flow between local populations of aphids and parasitoids using molecular markers 854,550 1 April 1991 to 31 March 2000 
			 LK0915 3D Farming—making biodiversity work for the farmer 350,402 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2004 
		
	
	
		
			 LK0971 Managing uncropped land in order to enhance biodiversity benefits of the arable farmed landscape 665,427 1 August 2005 to 28 February 2011 
			     
			 Current Project   
			 IF01122 Field margins for biocontrol and biodiversity across crop rotation 617,884 2 January 2012 to 31 March 2015

Plastic Bags

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to bring forward secondary legislation to implement the provisions of section 77 of the Climate Change Act 2008 on a plastic bags charging scheme in England.

Dan Rogerson: The Government has recently announced plans to introduce a charge of 5p on single-use plastic carrier bags in autumn 2015 to decrease their distribution in England.

Potatoes

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential for the non-GM blight resistance potatoes bred by the Sárvári Research Trust to reduce the input of agrochemicals and irrigation water in the production of potatoes in the UK.

George Eustice: Potato genomic and pathology research on blight resistance (eg by the James Hutton Institute funded by the Scottish Government) included some trialling of potato varieties developed by the Sárvári Trust but DEFRA has not directly assessed any potential reduction of inputs associated with their cultivation.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Government Assistance

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) profitability and (b) productivity of UK businesses.

Michael Fallon: The Government is helping businesses by taking action to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth. Our four ambitions for growth are:
	to create the most competitive tax system in the G20;
	to make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business;
	to encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy; and
	to create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.
	Work is under way across Government to achieve these ambitions, including delivering more than 235 measures outlined in the plan for growth and autumn statement 2011. Implementing these commitments is a priority across Government and delivery is on track, with around two-thirds of measures complete. Significant progress has been made on the remaining measures.
	The Government has developed an industrial strategy, setting out a long-term, whole of Government approach to give business the confidence to invest. We are offering a spectrum of support for all sectors, with strategic partnerships in eleven sectors based on size and opportunity for future economic growth and employment, barriers to growth and scope for Government action. We are also acting across four cross-cutting themes: technologies, access to finance, skills and procurement.
	We have published the following key sector strategies: Life Sciences in December 2012; Aerospace, Nuclear, and Oil and Gas in March 2013; Information Economy in June 2013; Construction, Professional and Business Services, Automotive, Agri-Tech, and International Education in July 2013; and Offshore Wind in August 2013.
	The Government asked my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Heseltine to undertake an independent review of competitiveness to contribute to this work and on how the public sector could work with the private sector to deliver pro-growth policies. The report, “No Stone Unturned”, was published in October 2012. The Government published a full response to my right hon. and noble Friend’s report on 18 March 2013 and has accepted either in full or in part 81 of his 89 recommendations.

Companies House

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if Companies House plans to publish a strategy document on its future role, structure and activities.

Michael Fallon: A full strategic review of the future role, structure, activities and priorities of Companies House was completed in June 2013. Companies House will publish a strategy document in early 2014.

Companies House

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans Companies House has to move towards digital data collection and publishing.

Michael Fallon: Companies House is actively pursuing a digital by default agenda.
	77% of all transactions this year have been filed digitally, with 98% of annual returns and incorporations being submitted digitally. Digital filing has grown by 12.5% in the last year and 93% by volume of filings can now be filed digitally at Companies House.
	Additionally, 99% of all searches on the register are carried out digitally.

Companies House

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether Companies House plans to publish a fully open register, accessible to the general public, without charge;
	(2)  whether Companies House plans to become a fully open public register.

Michael Fallon: The Companies House register is one of the most open company registers in the world. Information on every company and its officers is available free of charge and all information delivered to the Registrar under the Companies Act is made publicly available—with the exception of directors' residential addresses which are exempt in law from disclosure. Companies House charges to access some information to cover the costs of providing it but, as it has delivered efficiencies and improved its services, it has made more information available for free.
	Companies House aims to make the information on the register available in line with the Government's open data strategy and this will be further developed as part of its high level strategy which will be published in early 2014.

Credit: Interest Rates

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many consumer credit firms have been subject to enforcement action relating to use of continuous payment authorities in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jo Swinson: The Government and regulators have made clear their real concerns about the way payday lenders can access money from their customers' bank accounts using continuous payment authorities (CPA). As part of a concerted plan for tackling the key problems in this market, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have been taking strong action on non-compliant payday lenders as a top enforcement priority. We cannot comment on the specifics of individual OFT enforcement actions, but as a result of them since March we have seen 25 lenders exit the payday lending market.
	A report published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 3 October on the payday industry's codes of practice provides additional evidence of poor compliance by lenders in meeting their code commitments on increased transparency for consumers around the use of CPA. Government therefore welcomes tough new proposals announced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)—the new consumer credit regulator from April 2014—to impose a cap of no more than two attempts using CPA to take loan repayment and a ban on part payments to stop lenders ‘fishing’ and clearing out borrowers' accounts.

Higher Education: Finance

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the average annual public cost in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 of a full-time three year undergraduate course, including public funding for teaching, maintenance and RAB charges for loans.

David Willetts: In 2014-15 the average total public cost, for full-time English undergraduates under the 2012 fee and student finance system that are eligible for and take-up both maintenance and fee loans, will be around £6,500 per year.
	This is the result of an expected average maintenance and fee loan outlay of £12,000 at a Resource Accounting and Budgeting charge of around 35%, together with an average maintenance grant of £1,700 and an average teaching grant of around £600. These estimates exclude the costs of targeted support such as the Disabled Students Allowance and allocations to institutions for widening participation. The teaching grant estimate is for all full-time undergraduates, rather than just those on three-year courses.
	Estimated costs for 2015-16 are subject to final decisions on spending review allocations.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of undergraduate students aged under 25 in (a) England, (b) the UK, (c) the USA, (d) Canada, (e) Australia, (f) France, (g) Germany and (h) Japan.

David Willetts: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) collates information in order to make comparisons between international education systems in the annual publication “Education at a Glance”.
	OECD uses the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) to differentiate between different levels of study. UK undergraduates broadly equate to ISCED Tertiary Type A. For further information on ISCED levels, visit the following link:
	http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Glossary:ISCED
	Estimates for the proportion of all tertiary Type A enrolments aged under 25 years for the selected countries of study in 2010-11 is provided in the table. Estimates for England are not included in the publication.
	
		
			 Tertiary Type A enrolments(1) aged under 25 years by level of study and country of institution, academic year 2010/11 
			 OECD country Total academic enrolments Percentage aged under 25 
			 Australia 1,030,035 63 
			 Canada 1,074,895 70 
			 France 1,623,655 81 
			 Germany 2,083,740 58 
			 Japan(2) n/a n/a 
			 UK 1,957,785 68 
			 USA 15,877,450 62 
			 (1 )Enrolments refer to students in all years of study. (2 )No data on the age splits of Japan is available. Source: OECD on-line education statistics database relating to Education at a Glance 2013

Land: Registration

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what notice the Land Registry aimed to give of overriding interests being registered under section 117 of the Land Registration Act 2002 in order to allow appeals against such registrations in advance of the 13 October 2013 deadline.

Michael Fallon: From 13 October 2013, certain property rights will need to be protected by entries being made in Land Registry registers to make sure that they are not lost when the land concerned is next sold. The most important of these rights are manorial rights and chancel repair liability. This change in the law, and the date it is to take place, were set out in legislation which came into force 10 years ago. Many of these property rights have already been registered. They can continue to be registered after 12 October 2013 up until the land is sold.
	Land Registry does not generally give advance notice of a register entry being made in response to an application from the person claiming one of these property rights. But it does let the landowner know of the entry after it has been made.
	If the landowner disputes that the property right affects their land and the dispute cannot be resolved, Land Registry will refer the matter for judicial determination. Land Registry will continue to act in the same way, and disputes will continue to be referred for judicial determination, after 12 October 2013.

Lord Livingston of Parkhead

Gerry Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what safeguards he plans to put in place to (a) avoid any possible conflicts of interest or the perception of such a conflict which might arise from Lord Livingston's BT shareholding and policy responsibilities at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and (b) ensure that Lord Livingston is not involved in decisions and discussions relating to the regulation of the communications industry which could affect BT and its competitors.

Jo Swinson: Every Minister is bound by the Ministerial Code of Conduct, which expressly states that he or she should ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and private interests. To that end, my noble Friend Lord Livingston will be setting up a blind trust to manage his private interests, including his shareholdings in British Telecom (BT).
	As Trade Minister within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my noble Friend Lord Livingston will not have any regulatory role. His remit will be to promote Britain abroad as a place to invest, and to increase exports from British business. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will continue to be the lead Department overseeing matters relating to BT and the telecoms industry.

Manufacturing Industries: Exports

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of British manufacturing exports has been in each year since 2010.

Michael Fallon: The following table shows the value of UK exports of manufactured products for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012.
	
		
			 UK exports of manufactured products 
			 £ million(1) 
			 2010 227,418 
			 2011 256,351 
			 2012 258,688 
			 (1) Current prices, seasonally adjusted. Source: Office for National Statistics “MQ10 UK Trade in Goods by Classification of Product by Activity CPA(08)”

Manufacturing Industries: Wind Power

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many wind turbine manufacturers there are in the UK.

Michael Fallon: There are no manufacturers of large wind turbines. However, there are UK companies manufacturing turbine components, such as generators and gearboxes, as well as UK companies manufacturing the balance of plant such as foundations, cables and electrical infrastructure.
	The Renewable UK report "Working for a Green Britain & Northern Ireland 2013-23" published in 2013 suggested that there are around 600 wind and marine energy employers in the UK. Of these 23% (or around 138) were identified as being directly involved in manufacture or manufacturing design, the remainder covering site planning, construction and maintenance among other support activities.

Met Office

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria exist for the awarding of bonuses to Met Office staff.

Michael Fallon: The Met Office operates a contribution based reward system linked to improved business performance and the delivery of better services for the public and its customers. This includes annual non-consolidated performance payments which are awarded to staff based on performance either at an individual, team or organisational level. This means that staff have part of their pay at risk which has to be re-earned each year. Targets for performance are set by both customers and the Shareholder Executive and are approved at aggregate level by the Met Office Board which includes independent non-executive directors.

Natural Environment Research Council

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) about (a) NERC's proposal for a new centre for doctoral training in oil and gas and (b) recent progress towards NERC's strategic goal of enabling society to respond urgently to global climate change and increasing pressures on natural resources; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: I have regular meetings with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and we have discussed a range of issues. However, an update on the two topics is provided here:
	(a) Alongside the move to reduce carbon, the oil and gas sector will continue to be of great importance to the UK. This has been recognised by the Government in its Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy, published in March 2013. With global demand for oil forecast to rise by 28% between now and 2053, the industry expects that it will require an additional 15,000 staff over the next four to five years across a range of disciplines including geoscience.
	The NERC call for an Oil and Gas Centre for Doctoral Training aims to ensure a continued, highly skilled UK workforce, with skills transferable across the energy sector and wider environment sector.
	(b) NERC strategy aims to place environmental science at the heart of the responsible management of the planet. It recognises that we benefit from natural resources, must remain resilient to environmental hazards, and manage environmental change. NERC supports all environmental science that provides the evidence base for society to achieve these goals, and NERC also works to translate the science it funds to contribute to UK prosperity.

New Businesses: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) monetary value of loans given to entrepreneurs based in Wrexham under the start-up loans scheme.

Matthew Hancock: No loans have yet been made in Wrexham. This Department has authorised the Start-Up Loans Company to work with the Welsh Government to identify providers in Wales and we expect contracts to be agreed shortly.
	Prospective entrepreneurs in Wales can apply now via the Start-Up Loans website:
	www.startuploans.co.uk
	and will be automatically directed to a partner once they become available.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Jo Swinson: Through the procurement tender process, the Department requires that suppliers comply with all relevant UK legislation including the requirement to ensure that payments to their employees meet the requirements of the national minimum wage. It is for workers and employers to decide the level of wages above the minimum wage based on individual circumstances. The Department will always award contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer—which includes the low paid.
	The UK labour market is one of the most flexible in the world because we allow individuals and businesses to agree patterns of work that suit them. We do not regulate the minimum number of hours people can work and we allow people and companies freedom to agree these terms themselves.

Royal Mail

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he received from the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland regarding the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Michael Fallon: I have not received any representations from the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland regarding the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Royal Mail

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of privatisation of the Royal Mail on (a) jobs and (b) service provision in rural areas.

Michael Fallon: After the IPO, Royal Mail will continue to be the UK's designated universal service provider and will be obliged to provide a uniform one price goes anywhere six day a week service throughout the UK to urban and rural areas.
	As now, decisions on the number of staff needed to deliver the universal service and non-universal services will be an operational matter for Royal Mail. In public ownership, 50,000 jobs have been lost in the past 10 years.

Royal Mail

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of funds raised through the sale of Royal Mail will be reinvested in the business.

Michael Fallon: Proceeds from the sale will go to the Exchequer.
	The sale allows Royal Mail to access flexible private sector capital to enable Royal Mail to continue its modernisation programme and to seize opportunities to grow the business such as the increases in parcel volumes due to the boom in internet shopping.

Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to page 7 of the Royal Mail plc Summary Prospectus, if he will place in the Library a copy of the relationship agreement.

Michael Fallon: The Relationship Agreement has been summarised on pages 223 to 225 of the Securities Note that forms part of the Prospectus.

Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to page 15 of the Royal Mail summary prospectus if he has decided who he will nominate as non-executive director following privatisation.

Michael Fallon: Under the Relationship Agreement, the Government will retain the right to appoint a non-executive director to the board of Royal Mail but has decided not to appoint one at the time of the IPO.

Royal Mail

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the postal address file will be included in the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Michael Fallon: The Postcode Address File (PAF) is a fully integrated part of Royal Mail's operations. PAF will remain under Royal Mail's ownership, but subject to existing legislation that safeguards PAF and ensures that it is maintained and made available to anyone who wishes to use it on reasonable terms. These legislative protections will continue to apply regardless of Royal Mail's ownership.

Students: Fees and Charges

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what average annual fee income will be received from each student subject to regulated fees by English higher education institutions in (a)  2014-15, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2012-13.

David Willetts: The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) publishes estimates of the average full-time undergraduate tuition fee level at English Higher Education Institutions and Further Education Colleges for people starting their courses in September 2012 or later.
	
		
			 Estimated average fees per new system full-time student in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 
			  Estimated average fee (£) Estimates average fee after fee waivers (£) 
			  2012-13 2013-14 2014-15(1) 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15(1) 
			 HEIs(2) 8,527 8,619 8,748 8,259 8,358 8,521 
			 FECs with access agreements 6,836 6,861 6,918 6,647 6,660 6,725 
			 All FECs(3) 6,333 6,398 6,540 6,258 6,286 6,426 
			 Total 8,414 8,499 8,647 8,156 8,246 8,425 
			 (1) Provisional. (2) All English Higher Education Institutions. (3) All English Further Education Colleges. Only institutions that charge tuition fees above the basic fee threshold to home and EU students (£6,000 for full-time new system students) are required to have access agreements and provide OFFA with fee level data. OFFA's analysis assumes a flat fee of £6,000 for those FECs without access agreements. 
		
	
	Information on institutional fee levels for all three years is available from:
	http://www.offa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2013-04-Access-agreements-2014-15.pdf
	http://www.offa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/OFFA-2012.07-access-agreement-2013-14-doc-FINAL-FOR-WEB.pdf

Students: Fees and Charges

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the average fee to study a part-time degree in (a) 2005, (b) 2010 and (c) the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: Information on fees for part-time degree courses has not been collected centrally by BIS or other bodies. Last year OFFA collected information on the maximum full-time equivalent (FTE) fee for part-time study and the maximum fee payable in one year. It also collected information on number of part-time students paying above the basic fee level (FTE £6,000 pa) and total income from fees above the basic level.
	Some historical information on changes in part-time fees is available in the report ‘Futuretrack Part-Time Higher Education Students—the benefits of part-time higher education after 3 years’ (C. Callender & D. Wilkinson, 2012) which was partly funded by BIS. It also includes the following table on part-time fees in 2012-13 for the following institutions:
	
		
			 Institution Full-time equivalent tuition fee (£) 
			 Open University 5,000 
			 Teesside University 6,480 
			 Birkbeck College 9,000 
			 University of Central Lancashire 3,000 
			 London South Bank University 8,450 
			 Plymouth University 9,000 
			 University of Hull 9,000

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to review its policy of not having a dedicated budget to market or directly promote 24+ advanced learning loans to potential applicants.

Matthew Hancock: There has been a full programme of communications activity to inform potential learners about the availability of loans, delivered through colleges and training organisations. We took this approach because our research showed that all learners have contact with a college or training organisation in their journey into further education, so this was the most important route to use in giving messages about loans. We have made available to providers a range of learner communication materials and resources that have been well received by colleges and training organisations.
	Information about 24+ Advanced Learning Loans is also directly available to learners on GOV.UK, the National Careers Service website and the Money Advice Service website.
	The Department felt that to run a direct marketing campaign for a programme that affects such a small proportion of the overall further education sector may lead to confusion for the vast majority who are not eligible for a loan.

Students: Loans

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of graduates commencing their studies in 2013-14 will repay in full their (a) tuition fee loans and (b) maintenance loans.

David Willetts: I expect that 50% to 60% of borrowers who commence their studies in 2013-14 will fully repay their loans. Borrowers have a single balance for all their loans, which means that fee and maintenance loans are usually paid off over the same period.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions Ministers of his Department have had with the Skills Funding Agency regarding the allocation priorities for 24+ advanced learning loans.

Matthew Hancock: The Skills Funding Agency has started the process of 'in year' performance and budget management for 24+ Advanced Learning Loans and has already made adjustments to some loan facilities in light of demand so far. They will continue to do this throughout the year to ensure full and effective use of the loans budget in response to learner demand and choice. Providers can contact the agency at any time to discuss adjustments to their facilities.
	The Department is currently working with the Skills Funding Agency to agree the allocations process and timetable for 2014/15.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with further education colleges and independent providers about the suitability of courses being offered for 24+ advanced learning loans.

Matthew Hancock: 24+ Advanced Learning Loans can be used to support the same qualifications (at Level 3/4) that are eligible for public funding more widely.
	The value, rigour and relevance of qualifications is currently the subject of a major review being led by Nigel Whitehead as part of the Government's drive to make the further education system responsive to the needs of employers and the wider economy.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's statistics on 24+ advanced learning loans applications, published on 26 September 2013, for what reasons and in what categories 645 applications in the period 1-31 August 2013 were deemed ineligible; and what plans he has to reduce the number of ineligible applications in the future.

Matthew Hancock: The 645 ineligible loan applications are 3.9% of overall applications from 1-31 August 2013. Initial analysis undertaken by the Student Loans Company (SLC) shows that around 36% of cases were deemed ineligible for residency or age; a further 35% were where either the provider or course were not approved for loan funding ; around 23% were related to learning duration/course duplication and the remaining 6% were for arrears on a previous loan.
	The SLC is drafting further guidance for learning providers to explain the most common reasons for applications being deemed ineligible to help reduce future cases where possible. The Skills Funding Agency will feed this information back to providers.

Summertime

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on daylight saving time.

Jo Swinson: The Government has no plans to change the current arrangements on daylight saving time.
	Currently, the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time in the winter and is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in the summer (British Summer Time).

Unemployment: Young People

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of young people aged 19 to 25 who are not in education, employment or training have a disability or special educational need.

Matthew Hancock: The Government do not classify people aged 25 and over as not in education, employment or training (NEET).
	
		
			 Table 1: People aged 19 to 24 NEET with a disability or learning difficulty, Q2 2013 
			  Number Percentage 
			 Population 4,202,000 — 
			 NEET 767,000 — 
			    
			 Of NEET:   
			 Disabled 187,000 24 
			 Has learning difficulty/disability 47,000 6 
			 Disabled or has learning difficulty/disability 189,000 25 
			 Base: 19 to 24 year olds, England. Source: Q2 2013 Labour Force Survey

Vocational Training

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department allocated for traineeships in 2013-14; and from which departmental funding streams this is to be delivered.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) funds skills provision for those aged 19 and over through the Adult Skills Budget (ASB), allocated to providers by the Skills Funding Agency. Providers have the flexibility to use their funding to tailor their provision in response to local demand. Therefore the number of traineeship places funded will reflect the number of employers and education and training providers who choose to offer a place, and the number of eligible young people who wish to take one.

Vocational Training

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's announcement on new funding for traineeships scheme on 3 October 2013, whether the extra £20 million funding will be taken from the existing budget for apprenticeships for 2013-14.

Matthew Hancock: The Skills Funding Agency is making available an additional £20 million for providers to support the expansion of traineeships for 19 to 23-year-olds in 2013/14. This money is additional funding to the Adult Skills Budget therefore it will not impact on the funding allocated for apprenticeships.

JUSTICE

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice's reporting systems do not identify spend on accountants separately within its staff costs. The information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Shailesh Vara: This information is not held by the Ministry of Justice and was requested from our current supplier. A manual check would be required to isolate the data requested and this would incur a disproportionate cost.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Shailesh Vara: There is no central record of refurbishments that have been carried out across the Ministry of Justice's estate for the last 24 months. The Department currently occupies more than 1,500 buildings and these details could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Shailesh Vara: The following table shows how many metres squared of office space the Department owns and rents in central London.
	
		
			 Property type as at 14 September 2013 Boor size (square metres) 
			 Freehold holdings 2,388.7 
			 Leasehold holdings 51,040.19 
			 Total 53,428.89 
		
	
	The Department owns one freehold office property in London. We do not have market valuations for this, however the book valuation which is held for accounting purposes only was listed in the Department's Asset Register as £12.5 million at 31 March 2013.
	We will have reduced our central London office estate from 18 buildings in 2010 to six in 2013. This represents a saving to the Department of over £30 million per annum. Our commitment is to further reduce our office estate to a maximum of two properties by 2016 saving a total of £47 million per annum.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11.

Shailesh Vara: There is no central record of total expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) the Ministry of Justice and (b) the Ministry of Justice's non-departmental public bodies. The Department currently occupies more than 1,500 buildings and these details could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by his Department in that period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

Shailesh Vara: The Estates Transformation Programme (ETP) aims to reduce the MOJ administrative estate by 50% and reduce the overall operation cost of running the estate by £47 million a year by 2014-15. By 2014-15 we will have reduced our total administrative property holdings from 185 to 94, including 18 to two in central London. Reductions to date have been achieved through an aggressive approach to the disposal of leases and freehold property and by moving the Department to adopt a flexible desking approach (seven desks to every 10 people) in line with Government Property Unit targets.
	Under the auspices of ETP since April 2012 there have been around 100 office moves ranging from small internal moves to emptying entire buildings. Some internal re-stacking moves have been required to better align space for incoming teams and to achieve best use of space as the organisation changes.
	The cost of office removals and refurbishment and on how many occasions offices refurbished by the MOJ have been used by the Department's staff for less than four years before a further move, since 2009-10, is not collected centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Shailesh Vara: Christmas cards were sent electronically at no additional cost to the Department.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints the Office for Judicial Complaints received in relation to coroners in each category of complaint in each year since 2006.

Shailesh Vara: The following tables set out the complaints received against coroners by category for the last two financial years. This information is only held by the OJC for two years in accordance with its information retention policy. Information for the period 2006 to April 2011 is therefore no longer held.
	
		
			 2011-12 
			 Type of complaint Number of complaints 
			 Inappropriate behaviour 12 
			 Judicial decision and/or case management 12 
			 Misuse of judicial status 1 
			 Professional conduct 1 
			 Not fulfilling judicial duty 4 
			 Not specified 2 
			 Total 32 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 
			 Type of complaint Number of complaints 
			 Discrimination 1 
			 Inappropriate behaviour 12 
			 Judicial decision and/or case management 23 
			 Professional conduct 4 
			 Not fulfilling judicial duty 3 
			 Not specified 1 
			 Total 44 
		
	
	
		
			 April 2013 to 25 September 2013 
			 Type of complaint Number of complaints 
			 Discrimination — 
			 Inappropriate behaviour 8 
			 Judicial decision and/or case management 8 
			 Professional conduct 1 
			 Not fulfilling judicial duty 2 
			 Not specified 2 
			 Total 21

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints were made relating to coroners, coroners' offices or inquests in each coroner district in each year since May 2010.

Shailesh Vara: The Office for Judicial Complaints is responsible for handling all complaints about coroner conduct. It is bound by section 139 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the release of information which could lead to identification of individual coroners would be a breach of confidentiality under the Act.
	Information is not held centrally on complaints about coroners' offices, their officers or standards of service received in coroner investigations and inquests. Such complaints would normally be directed to the relevant coroner or local authority. A coroner's conclusion at the end of an investigation or inquest can be challenged by way of judicial review or an application to the Attorney-General for a fresh investigation.

Courts: Newport

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many litigants in person there were in (a) civil and (b) family cases at Newport Civil and Family Court between (i) April 2012 and April 2013 and (ii) April 2013 and 31August 2013.

Shailesh Vara: We do not hold this information on a court by court basis. We do however collate information about representation in family courts at a national level, which is available in table 2.4 at this link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/court-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2013
	Parties with no legal representation are not a new phenomenon in our courts. Judges are used to helping persons with no legal representation, including explaining procedures and what is expected of them. We have taken steps to help people who either want or have to represent themselves in court, including publishing a revised guide for separating parents and increased training for judges. The link to the guide is:
	http://hmctsformfinder.justice.gov.uk/HMCTS/GetForms.do?court_forms_num=cb7&court_forms_title=&court _forms_category=

Courts: Sunderland

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the Answer of 21 July 2010, Official Report, column 322W, on courts: Sunderland, what the cost was of (a) commissioning architects and (b) buying land for the redevelopment of Sunderland City Court.

Shailesh Vara: The information is as follows:
	(a) Under the previous Government, £1,086,303 was paid to the appointed concept designer for architectural design services.
	(b) The cost of buying the land, from Sunderland city council, was £876,353.
	In July 2009, the estimated build cost of the proposed justice centre was in excess of £90 million. All major build projects have been reconsidered in light of the Spending Review 2010. It remains the position that no final decisions have been made about the future use of the land.

Fines

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the link between court-imposed fines and payday loans since August 2012.

Shailesh Vara: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not have any way of identifying offenders who also owe or have previously owed money on payday loans.
	The information HMCTS holds on offenders is provided by the prosecuting authorities, by the offenders themselves, and by using the tracing tools HMCTS has at its disposal, such as the Experian credit reference agency and the Department for Work and Pensions customer information system. The means form that defendants are asked to complete asks them to provide details of loan amounts they are repaying, but as many defendants do not provide financial means information to the court, HMCTS does not know what other financial commitments they have.

Freehold

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to (a) review and (b) strengthen the rights of freehold property owners who as part of the freehold purchase of their property have a management company imposed upon them.

Shailesh Vara: The Government has no plans to review or strengthen the rights of freeholders in these circumstances. We will, however, continue to monitor the situation.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available.

Shailesh Vara: The information I am providing covers external legal spend by the Ministry of Justice and its Executive Agencies (Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, and the National Offender Management Service). It does not cover spend on external legal advice by the Department's arm’s length bodies.
	In answering the question I have assumed that external legal spend in this context means spend on legal advice given to the Department other than the Ministry of Justice Legal Department or the Treasury Solicitor's Department. The Treasury Solicitor's Department conducts the majority of the litigation for the Department and therefore the majority of spend on litigation is not reflected in the following figures.
	Total external legal spend by the Ministry of Justice, HMCTS and NOMS, in 2012-13 was £3,802,979.93. This compares to £4,501,861.00 in 2010-11.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what information his Department intends to collect on the use of pre-medical offers in road traffic accident personal injury claims;
	(2)  what discussions he has with (a) insurance industry representatives and (b) claimant representatives about pre-medical offers in road traffic accident personal injury claims;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to discourage the use of pre-medical offers in road traffic accident personal injury claims;
	(4)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that medical evidence is required before any compensation is paid in a road traffic accident personal injury claim;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the effect of pre-medical offers on the number of fraudulent and exaggerated whiplash claims.

Shailesh Vara: This Government is committed to reducing the number and cost of whiplash claims to help bring down the cost of motor insurance premiums for consumers.
	We believe that better medical evidence would help to challenge and reduce the number of fraudulent or exaggerated whiplash claims. Where a claim is genuine, we want to see medical evidence play a part in getting honest motorists early compensation for their injuries.
	In our recent consultation, “Reducing the number and cost of whiplash claims”, we sought views on improving the current arrangements for diagnosing possible whiplash injuries through the creation of independent medical panels.
	During consultation, stakeholders raised a number of issues relating to medical evidence, including the use of pre-medical offers in personal injury cases and their effect on fraudulent and exaggerated claims. A range of views were expressed by respondents, including discouraging such offers and requiring that medical reports are completed before compensation can be paid.
	Ministers have had no meetings with stakeholders regarding the issue of pre-medical offers. However, Ministry of Justice officials held meetings with stakeholder groups during consultation when the issue was discussed. These sessions included representatives from both claimant and defendant groups including:
	Association of British Insurers
	Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
	Forum of Insurance Lawyers
	Motor Accident Solicitors Society.
	The Ministry of Justice is now evaluating the evidence submitted to its consultation, alongside the recommendations of the Transport Select Committee inquiry report on whiplash published on 31 July. The Government will set out the way forward on reducing the number and cost of whiplash claims later this year.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

Shailesh Vara: The Secretary of State for Justice’s ministerial office subscribes to the following newspapers on a daily basis: Financial Times, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Express, The Sun and the Daily Mirror.

Procurement

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons his Department's end user computing and common services contract has been suspended.

Shailesh Vara: My Department has terminated the EUC procurement as it intends to procure the services needed using a different process. The Department has determined that changes are needed to the structure of some of the Future IT Sourcing (FITS) Programme's Service Towers and is revising the scope of services to be procured. This amounts to a material change of scope in the End User Computing Tower. The Ministry of Justice remains committed to the FITS Programme and the delivery of the associated benefits and outcomes.
	The revised scope, which has been agreed with the Cabinet Office, separates the original requirement into four key areas: Core End User Computing Services, Print Services, Workgroup Collaboration and Identity and Access Management. It extracts the data centre component services from the scope of EUC and includes this as part of the Data Centre Facilities procurement, and extracts the provision of Local Area Networks and includes this as part of the Networks WAN/LAN procurement.
	This new procurement retains the broad requirement of the original, but encourages greater interest from SMEs and companies with significant volumes of SMEs in the supply chain.
	In the event that SMEs are not successful in their own right, SMEs will be given the option of their details being forwarded to qualifying suppliers.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts.

Shailesh Vara: The MOJ undertakes an assessment of relevant tenders submitted by potential suppliers in relation to the use of zero hour's contracts and the legal obligations regarding payment of the minimum wage. The MOJ is sympathetic to the Living Wage campaign and we are currently reviewing how MOJ might introduce appropriate provisions to current and future contracts which take the Living Wage into account. Any decision must strive for a balance between fairness and value for money for the taxpayer.

Public Buildings: Stoke on Trent

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much his Department paid to the relevant local authority to purchase Fenton Town Hall building;
	(2)  how much in rent for the use of Fenton Town Hall building has been paid by his Department and its predecessor Departments to the relevant local authority during each of the last 25 years.

Shailesh Vara: Until 1 April 2005 magistrates courts were the responsibility of locally managed magistrates courts committees and therefore information prior to 2005-06 is not held by the MOJ.
	The freehold of Fenton magistrates court was transferred under the Courts Act 2003 at nil cost to the local magistrates courts committee and then to the Department in 2005.
	In disposing of surplus assets the Ministry of Justice is required to receive best value in order to safeguard value for the taxpayer. We are currently considering options for the disposal of the property.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice commissions analysis and research to support departmental priorities and policy development from external organisations where this offers value for money and the relevant expertise is not available in-house. The total spend on research has reduced by more than half since 2009-10.
	A list of research commissioned in each year since 2010 where the report has been published by the Ministry of Justice is provided in the following table. The title of the report and the commissioned organisation/authors and total cost of the overall research contract associated with the report has also been given. Future reports will be published in due course, subject to the usual quality assurance checks.
	
		
			 Year commissioned Office(2) Publication title/subject Author(s)(3) Supplier Year published(1) Total contract cost (£)(4) 
			 2009-10 (Quarter 4) MOJ Reoffending analysis of women offenders referred to Together Women (TW) and the scope to divert from custody Darrick Jolliffe, Carol Hedderman, Emma Palmer and Clive Hollin QinetiQ and University of Leicester 2011 102,708 
			 2009-10 (Quarter 4) MOJ The evaluation of the mandatory polygraph pilot Theresa A Gannon, Jane Wood, Afroditi Pina, Eduardo Vasquez and Iain Fraser University of Kent 2012 315,777 
			 2010-11 MOJ Lessons learned from the planning and early implementation of the Social Impact Bond at HMP Peterborough Emma Disley, Jennifer Rubin, Emily Scraggs, Nina Burrowes, Deirdre Culley RAND Europe 2011 97,960 
			 2010-11 MOJ The decision-making process at parole reviews (indeterminate imprisonment for public protection sentences) Siân Bradford and Paul Cowell IPSOS MORI 2012 59,475 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 MOJ Early learning from Victim Support’s Homicide Service Caroline Turley and Charlotte Tompkins NatCen 2012 59,093 
			 2010-11 MOJ Peterborough Social Impact Bond: an independent assessment Siôn Cave, Tom Williams, Darrick Jolliffe and Carol Hedderman QinetiQ 2012 106,730 
			 2010-11 MOJ Understanding the progression of serious cases through the criminal justice system Mandy Burton, Rosie McLeod, Vanessa de Guzmán, Roger Evans, Helen Lambert and Gemma Cass NatCen 2012 194,660 
			 2011-12 MOJ Evaluating the low value Road Traffic Accident process Professor Paul Fenn Nottingham University Business School 2012 12,500 
			 2011-12 MOJ Findings and lessons learned from the early implementation of the HMP Doncaster payment by results pilot Daniel Murray, Jonathan Jones, Simon Pearce and Evelyn Hichens GVA Grimley Ltd 2012 99,645 
			 2011-12 MOJ 1. Evidence and Practice Review of support for victims and outcome measurement 2. Measuring outcomes for victims of crime Meg Callanan, Ashley Brown, Caroline Turley, Tom Kenny and Professor Julian Roberts NatCen 2012 89,669 
			 2011-12 MOJ The effectiveness of different community order requirements for offenders who received an OASys assessment Helen Bewley NIESR 2012 41,240 
			 2010-11 NOMS Probation staff views of the Skills for Effective Engagement Development (SEED) Pilot Angela Sorsby, Joanna Shapland, Stephen Farrall, Fergus McNeill, Camilla Priede and Gwen Robinson University of Sheffield 2013 172,541 
			 2011-12 NOMS Enabling features of Psychologically Informed Planned Environments Caroline Turley, Colin Payne and Stephen Webster NatCen 2013 39,663 
			 2011-12 MOJ Justice reinvestment pilots: first year results Kevin Wong, Linda Meadows, Frank Warburton, Sarah Webb, Dan Ellingworth and Tim Bateman Sheffield Hallam University 2013 143,169 
			 2011-12 MOJ Communicating Sentencing: exploring new ways to explain adult sentences Philip Wilson and Rob Ellis DUCKFoOT Research and Development Ltd 2013 26,110 
			 2011-12 MOJ Youth Justice Reinvestment Custody Pathfinder: Findings and delivery lessons from the first year of implementation Kevin Wong, Linda Meadows, Frank Warburton, Sarah Webb, Dan Ellingworth and Tim Bateman Sheffield Hallam University 2013 171,592 
			 2011-12 MOJ Attitudes to Sentencing and Trust in Justice: Exploring Trends from the Crime Survey for England and Wales Mike Hough, Ben Bradford, Jonathan Jackson and Julian V Roberts Institute for Criminal Policy Research, Birkbeck, University of London 2013 24,900 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 MOJ Strands 1 and 2: Annexes D and E of "The memorandum to the Justice Select Committee-Post Legislative Assessment of the FOI Act 2000 Strand 3: Investigative study to inform the FOIA (2000) post-legislative review costing exercise Helen Powell, Rebeccah Szyndler, James Stannard, Avraham Bram and Sarah Colover IPSOS MORI 2011 64,310 
			 (1) ‘Year published’ denotes the year in which the report was published by MOJ. This is not the same as the year in which the research was commissioned and/ or paid for. (2) MOJ = Ministry of Justice; DCA = the Department for Constitutional Affairs; OCJR = Office for Criminal Justice Reform; NOMS = National Offender Management Service. (3) The ‘authors’ are those who wrote the published report. This will sometimes be MOJ analysts, rather than the ‘suppliers’. (4) ‘Total contract costs’ includes the most accurate information that could be obtained at the time of response on the value of the contract as initially agreed, or the amount finally paid where this was different.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice does not record separately the printing costs for internal and external audiences. To obtain this information manually would incur a disproportionate cost.

Richard III

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent progress has been made on re-burial of the remains of King Richard III; and if he will make a statement.

Shailesh Vara: In August a judge granted permission to the Plantagenet Alliance Limited to judicially review the decision of the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), to grant a licence to the university of Leicester to exhume remains which turned out to be those of Richard III. The Secretary of State is vigorously defending the judicial review which is listed to be heard by the Administrative Court on 26 November.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Shailesh Vara: The quarter 2 and quarter 3 Quarterly Data Summary (QDS) returns of all 17 Departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office's Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST , was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr Martin Read's independent report entitled 'Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government'. The GIST is an online tool that allows the public to access a breakdown of government expenditure through the Gov.UK website. It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Tenants: Evictions

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many tenant evictions for landlord possession took place in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13;
	(2)  how many tenant evictions for landlord possession took place in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; and how many of those evictions were of (i) social housing and (ii) private sector tenants.

Shailesh Vara: The information requested is not available. The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the total number of tenant evictions. Our figures only include the number of repossessions carried out by county court bailiffs which does not equate to the total number of evictions.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of people successfully appealed against a work capability assessment decision in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2011, (c) 2010 and (d) 2009.

Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA), decisions in which the work capability assessment (WCA) is a key factor, rather than appeals against WCA-decisions themselves. HMCTS does not, therefore, hold the information requested.
	Information on appeals against ESA decisions is published by HMCTS in Tribunal Statistics quarterly. The most recent report for the period April to June 2013, which includes the proportion of decisions upheld and in favour of the appellant since 2009/10, can be viewed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2013

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11.

Brandon Lewis: Since May 2010 the Department has significantly reduced the size of its office estate by surrendering unwanted buildings and sub-letting unwanted space to others. The office refurbishments undertaken by the DCLG and its non-departmental public Bodies since May 2010 are set out in the following tables:
	
		
			 DCLG Refurbishment costs 
			  Cost (£) Savings delivered 
			 2010-11 291,771.44 DCLG improved the space efficiency of Eland House, its headquarters building, through introducing flexible working/desking. This enabled the Department to vacate its other central London property, Ashdown House. The project realised an annual property cost reduction of £4.5million. 
			    
			 2011-12 0 The Department sub-let unwanted space to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and High Speed 2 resulting in annual property cost savings of around £2.3 million. 
			    
			 2012-13 965,634 Working in partnership with the Cabinet Office's Government Property Unit, DCLG invested £665,042 to enhance the space efficiency of Temple Quay House, Bristol, enabling a number of other Government Departments to occupy space in the facility as part the wider Government Regional Estates Strategy. The project realised property cost reductions of around £800,000 per annum. 
			   DCLG invested £218,022 in consolidating the space it held at Lateral House, Leeds, freeing-up space for other Government Departments to use. The investment has resulted in annual property cost reductions of around £1.5 million for DCLG. 
			   DCLG has invested £68,000 in consolidating the space it held at Hemel Hempstead. The Department is currently re-negotiating a smaller office footprint with the landlord, which will deliver further efficiency savings. 
			   DCLG has invested £14,570 in consolidating the space it and other Government Departments held in St Philips Place in Birmingham, improving the space efficiency of the building for DCLG and wider Government, securing additional sub-let income for DCLG of around £600,000 per annum. 
			   Investment in further consolidation in Eland House enabled the Department to sub-let unwanted space to the Office of Water Services resulting in annual property cost savings of around £177,000. 
			    
			 2013-14 8,165 DCLG has invested a further £1,165 in consolidating the space it and other Government Departments held in St Philips Place in Birmingham, improving the space efficiency of the building even further for DCLG and wider Government, yet again securing additional sub-let income for DCLG of around £600,000 per annum. 
			   DCLG invested about £7,000 in vacating a further part of Eland House. This has been transferred to High Speed 2, reducing the Department's annual accommodation cost for the building by around £500,000 per annum. 
		
	
	
		
			 DCLG non-departmental public bodies refurbishment costs 
			  Cost (£) Savings delivered 
			 2010-11 754,972 The Homes and Communities Agency invested £499,101 to consolidate staff from Buckingham Palace Road to Maple House in Tottenham Court Road resulting in one off savings from office closures of £980,000. 
			   The Planning Inspectorate invested £255,871 to consolidate and free up office accommodation in Temple Quay House, Bristol for sub tenants, resulting in savings of £635,000 per annum. 
			    
			 2011-12 12,051 The Homes and Communities Agency invested £12,051 resulting in one off savings of £2,442,000 by consolidating staff into Milton Keynes office. 
			    
			 2012-13 239,799 The Homes and Communities Agency invested £239,799 in Maple House to integrate the Tenants Services Authority and consolidated its operations at its Gateshead office to allow new tenants to occupy. This resulted in one-off savings of £2,267,000. 
			    
			 2013-14 44,508 The Planning Inspectorate invested £44,508 to consolidate its operations in Temple Quay House. While there were no immediate savings, further space has been freed-up to meet the growing demand for space in the facility. 
		
	
	The savings identified above form part of the Department's drive to reduce the size and cost of its office estate. Since May 2010 the Department has surrendered six leasehold office properties through a combination of lease breaks and expiries, generating net savings in the period of around £7 million per annum.
	The Department has also successfully sublet surplus space across its leasehold office estate during the same period, reducing the overall property costs by around £6.5 million per annum.
	Building on this success, in 2013-14 we have already secured additional savings of £1.5 million by subletting further space in Eland House.
	Most recently, the Department negotiated the early surrender of Eland House, with DCLG scheduled to relocate to share 2 Marsham Street with the Home Office during the summer of 2014, realising annual savings of around £9 million for DCLG and around £24 million for Government.
	This illustrates the scope for local government, and indeed the public sector as a whole, to make sensible savings through better property management.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by his Department in that period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

Brandon Lewis: Since May 2010 the Department for Communities and Local Government has significantly reduced the size of its office estate by surrendering unwanted buildings and sub-letting unwanted space to others. The Department does not hold details of the number of individual staff moves involved.
	The office relocations and refurbishments undertaken by DCLG and its non-departmental public bodies since 2009-10 are set out in the following tables:
	A. Removals
	DCLG's removal costs
	
		
			  Comments Cost (£) 
			 2009-10 The move of staff and equipment from Ashdown House to Eland House, its headquarters building. 137,077 
			 2010-11 The move of staff and equipment from Ashdown House to Eland House. 112,078 
			 2011-12 n/a 0 
			 2012-13 St Philips Place (Birmingham)—internal staff and equipment moves to free-up more space for sub-letting. 577 
			 2013-14 Mast House (Plymouth)—move of staff and equipment to Cobourg House (Plymouth). DCLG saved around £500,000 per annum as a result of moving from Mast House to Cobourg House. No refurbishment work was required. 1,687 
		
	
	DCLG Non-Departmental Public Bodies removal costs
	
		
			  Comments Cost (£) 
			 2009-10 n/a 0 
			 2010-11 Homes and Community Agency staff and equipment moves from Buckingham Palace Road to Maple House. 66,032 
			 2011-12 Homes and Community Agency internal staff and equipment moves to free-up more space for sub-letting at its Milton Keynes office. 259,469 
			 2012-13 Homes and Community Agency internal staff and equipment moves to free-up more space for the Tenants Services Authority in Maple House. Homes and Community Agency internal staff and equipment moves to free-up more space for sub-letting at its Gateshead office. 23,902 
			 2013-14 n/a 0 
		
	
	The removal costs are in addition to the wider refurbishment costs set out and support the achievement of the efficiency savings identified as follows.
	B. Refurbishments
	DCLG Refurbishment costs
	
		
			  Savings delivered Cost (£) 
			 2009-10 DCLG improved the space efficiency of Eland House through introducing flexible working/desking. This enabled the Department to vacate its other Central London property, Ashdown House. The project realised an annual property cost reduction of £4.5 million. 1,639,025.45 
			 2010-11 As above. 291,771.44 
			 2011-12 The Department sub-let unwanted space to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and High Speed 2 resulting in annual property cost savings of around £2.3 million. 0 
			 2012-13 Working in partnership with the Cabinet Office's Government Property Unit, DCLG invested £665,042 to enhance the space efficiency of Temple Quay House, Bristol, enabling a number of other Government Departments to occupy space in the facility as part the wider Government Regional Estates Strategy. The project realised property cost reductions of- around £800,000 per annum. DCLG invested £218,022 in consolidating the space it held at Lateral House, Leeds, freeing-up space for other Government Departments to use. The investment has resulted in annual property cost reductions of around £1.5 million for DCLG. DCLG has invested £68,000 in consolidating the space it held at Hemel Hempstead. The Department is currently re-negotiating a smaller office footprint with the landlord, which will deliver farther efficiency savings. DCLG has invested £14,570 in consolidating the space it and other Government Departments held in St Philips Place in Birmingham, improving the space efficiency of the building for DCLG and wider Government, securing additional sub-let income for DCLG of around £600,000 per annum. Investment in further consolidation in Eland House enabled the Department to sub-let unwanted space to the Office of Water Services resulting in annual property cost savings of £177,000. 965,634 
		
	
	
		
			 2013-14 DCLG has invested £1,165 in consolidating the space it and other Government Departments held in St Philips Place in Birmingham, improving the space efficiency of the building even further for DCLG and wider Government, yet again securing additional sublet income for DCLG of around £600,000 per annum. DCLG invested around £7,000 in vacating a further part of Eland House. This has been transferred to High Speed 2, reducing the Department's annual accommodation cost for the building by around £500,000 per annum. 8,165 
		
	
	DCLG Non-Departmental Public Bodies refurbishment costs
	
		
			  Savings delivered Cost (£) 
			 2009-10 — 0 
			 2010-11 The Homes and Communities Agency invested £499,101 to consolidate staff from Buckingham Palace Road to Maple House in Tottenham Court Road resulting in one off savings from office closures of £980,000. The Planning Inspectorate invested £255,871 to consolidate and free up office accommodation in Temple Quay House, Bristol for sub tenants, resulting in savings of £635,000 per annum. 754,972 
			 2011-12 The Homes and Communities Agency invested £12,051 resulting in one off savings of £2,442,000 by consolidating staff into Milton Keynes office. 12,051 
			 2012-13 The Homes and Communities Agency invested £239,799 in Maple House to integrate the Tenants Services Authority and consolidated its operations at its Gateshead office to allow new tenants to occupy. This resulted in savings of £2,267,000. 239,799 
			 2013-14 The Planning Inspectorate invested £44,508 to consolidate its operations in Temple Quay House. While there were no immediate savings, further space has been freed-up to meet the growing demand for space in the facility. 44,508 
		
	
	To date, no offices were occupied for less than four years.
	The savings identified above form part of the Department's drive to reduce the size and cost of its office estate. Since May 2010 the Department has surrendered six leasehold office properties through a combination of lease breaks and expiries, generating net savings in the period of around £7 million per annum.
	The Department has also successfully sublet surplus space across its leasehold office estate during the same period, reducing the overall property costs by around £6.5 million per annum.
	Building on this success, in 2013-14 we have already secured additional savings of £1.5 million by subletting further space in Eland House.
	Most recently, the Department negotiated the early surrender of Eland House, with DCLG scheduled to relocate to share 2 Marsham Street with the Home Office during the summer of 2014, realising annual savings of around £9 million for DCLG and around £24 million for Government.
	This illustrates the scope for local government, and indeed the public sector as a whole, to make sensible savings through better property management.

Council Tax

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the value of uncollected council tax in each of the last three financial years in (a) England and (b) each local authority area.

Brandon Lewis: In England, in each of the last three financial years, the amount of council tax not collected by the end of the year in which it is due is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2010-11 612 
			 2011-12 605 
			 2012-13 604 
		
	
	In our best practice document, “50 ways to save”, we listed improving council tax collection rates as a key way of making sensible savings to help keep overall council tax bills down and protect frontline services. In 2012-13, the best authorities collected 99.5% of council tax owed, but the worst collected just 92.1%. Every penny of council tax that is not collected means a higher council tax for the law-abiding citizen who does pay on time.
	It is important that councils are sympathetic to those in genuine hardship, are proportionate in enforcement and do not overuse bailiffs. However, these figures show that there is a significant source of income for councils, which councils could use to support frontline service or cut council tax bills.
	The equivalent information for local authorities in England can be derived from statistical releases on council tax collection rates published on the DCLG part of the .gov.uk website by comparing the total amount due for collection (the net collectable debit) and the amount collected.
	Local authority data for 2010-11 can be found in table 7 of the 2010-11 release:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2010-to-2011
	Local authority data for 2011-12 and 2012-13 can be found in table 4 of the 2012-13 release:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2012-to-2013
	The figures in the releases show the amount of council tax collected up to 31 March of the year in question: The collection of council tax continues after this date so the final amount not collected in respect of the years shown may be lower than that shown.
	The data are as reported by all billing authorities in England on the annual Quarterly collection rates of council tax return.

Housing: Overcrowding

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of households which are in (a) social housing, (b) private rented accommodation and (c) owner occupation are deemed to be over-crowded in each local authority;
	(2)  what the percentage change has been of the number and proportion of households in (a) social housing, (b) private rented accommodation and (c) owner occupation are deemed to be over-crowded in each English local authority in the last 10 years.

Kris Hopkins: The Department for Communities and Local Government measure overcrowding using the English Housing Survey.
	Between 2002-03 and 2011-12, the overcrowding rate in the social rented sector in England increased from 5% to 7% (from 216,000 to 249,000 households). In the private rented sector, the overcrowding rate increased from 4% to 6% (from 80,000 to 207,000 households). The overcrowding rate in the owner occupied sector remained steady at 1% (204,000 households in 2002-03; 187,000 in 2011-12).
	The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect local authority level data on overcrowding; these statistics were collected by the Office of National Statistics for the first time in the 2011 census.
	This Government is committed to reducing overcrowding, by increasing the supply of affordable housing and enabling councils and other social landlords to make better use of the existing stock.
	We have delivered over 150,000 new affordable homes over the past three years thanks to the wider affordable homes programmes. Over 84 000 homes have already been delivered under the current programme which invests £19.5 billion of public and private funding on affordable housing over this spending review period between 2011-12 and 2014-15. In additions, a further £23 billion of public and private investment will deliver 165,000 new affordable homes between 2015 and 2018. The rate of affordable house-building will soon be at the highest level for two decades.
	Our reforms to social housing allocations, homelessness, mobility and tenure give councils and landlords the tools they need to tackle overcrowding; while our statutory allocations guidance encourages councils to use a modern measure of overcrowding, the ‘bedroom standard’, when assessing whether families in crowded homes should have priority for social housing.
	Our social housing reforms, together with the removal of the spare room subsidy, will encourage a more efficient and flexible, use of social housing.

Local Government: Allowances and Pay

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the payment of market supplement allowances to senior local authority officials.

Brandon Lewis: Local government pay decisions are ultimately a matter for local authorities. However, in our best practice document, ‘50 ways to save’, we have made clear that reducing senior pay bills is a key way to deliver sensible savings to protect frontline services and keep council tax down.
	Through the Localism Act and the local government Transparency Code we have taken a series of steps to increase local accountability and local transparency on the setting of senior pay, so that elected local councillors take the decisions in an open manner and are held to account for the decisions they make. This includes decisions about local policies on increases and additions to the remuneration of senior officers.
	In my own Department, we are currently reviewing and reducing the number of allowances that we have inherited from the last Administration. Since May 2010, Ministers have taken a 5% pay cut and frozen their pay for five years, to lead by example in cutting senior pay.

Local Government: Fraud

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of money lost to local authorities in England through fraud in each of the last three financial years; and what steps he plans to take to tackle such losses.

Brandon Lewis: The Department does not collect or estimate this information. The National Fraud Authority publishes an Annual Fraud Indicator and their assessment this year is that non-benefit fraud against local government is £2.1 billion.
	Fighting Fraud Locally, local government's strategy, was published in April 2012. Developed by local government for local government, it provides a blueprint for how local government can reduce their risk to fraud, realise cash savings, and work together to prevent future fraud losses. The Department for Communities and Local Government has been actively involved in this work.
	In my Department's best practice document, 50 ways to save, we identified tackling fraud as a key way that councils can make sensible savings to protect frontline services and keep council tax down.

Non-domestic Rates

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the value of extending rate relief for small businesses.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 8 October 2013
	The Small Business Rate Relief scheme is funded from within the business rates system through a higher multiplier for larger premises. Since October 2010, this has been temporarily doubled to provide 100% relief to premises valued below £6,000 and tapering to 0% for premises valued below £12,000 benefiting approximately half a million ratepayers, with approximately a third of a million businesses paying no rates at all. The cost of this temporary doubling has been met by the Exchequer and it was estimated to cost £475 million for the financial year 2013-14 in Great Britain, as set out at autumn statement 2012. The total amount of small business rate relief given out has trebled from £333 million in 2009-10 to £900 million in 2012-13.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Brandon Lewis: The information is as follows:
	External public relations
	The core department has spent nothing on external public relations from 2010-11 to 2012-13. This compares with the last Administration which spent nearly £1.1 million in 2009-10, on top of employing over 100 in-house communications staff, as outlined in my answer of 13 June 2013, Official Report, columns 386-87W.
	The Homes and Communities Agency spent approximately £1,000 on external public relations in 2010-11, but this was a late invoice for 2009-10 activity.
	The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre does undertake some public relations spending in its capacity as a commercial trading fund to generate sales leads for the venue. It does not have an in-house press office. It spent £39,000 in 2009-10 and in 2010-11, and £36,000 in 2011-12 and in 2012-13. This spending is fully covered by the revenues from commercial bookings.
	Public affairs consultancy
	My Department has spent nothing since 2010-11 on public affairs consultancy. Ministers in this Government in May to July 2010 instructed all our arm’s length bodies to cancel all such contracts, and there should have been no further expenditure other than the termination of those contracts during 2010-11, as outlined in the answer to my question of 14 December 2010, Official Report, column 676-77W.
	To place this in context, taxpayers' money in the last Administration was being spent on the likes of:
	LLM Communications by DCLG to run a “sock puppet” campaign in favour of Regional Spatial Strategies;
	Chelgate by West Northamptonshire Development Corporation with a remit including the goal of securing “additional funding” from DCLG;
	Mandate by Ordnance Survey, which included lobbying the Conservative Party in Opposition behind Labour Ministers' backs;
	APCO Worldwide by the Tenant Services Authority, which included the executive agency asking the lobbyists to arrange meetings with Labour Ministers;
	Connect Public Affairs and London Communications Agency and Euro RSCG Apex Communications by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation;
	Connect Public Affairs and London Communications Agency by Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation;
	Communique by the Homes and Communities Agency;
	Four Communications by the Fire Service College;
	APCO Worldwide by the Housing Ombudsman; and
	Connect Public Affairs by the Audit Commission to "combat the activities of Eric Pickles" (arguably, one of the least successful lobbying campaigns in history).
	Information is not otherwise held for DCLG arm’s length bodies which have been
	abolished over this period.

Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2013, Official Report, column 908W, on rented housing: electrical safety, what progress he has made with the review of licensing; what steps he intends to take as a result of this review; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Williams: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 8 October 2013, Official Report, columns 142-3W.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what consideration he has given to the introduction of (a) exclusion zones and (b) minimum separation distances between large scale groups of wind turbines and the nearest residential properties;
	(2)  what consideration he has given to the introduction of exclusion zones for wind turbines in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Kris Hopkins: The National Planning Policy Framework expects local councils to design their policies to ensure that adverse impacts from renewable energy developments are addressed satisfactorily and makes clear that a planning application for renewable energy should be approved only if the impact is, or can be made, acceptable. The National Planning Policy Framework also makes clear that great weight should be given to conserving landscape and scenic beauty in national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
	To help implement the framework, we published new planning practice guidance for renewable and low carbon energy. The guidance is clear that the need for renewable energy does not automatically override environmental protections and the planning concerns of local people. It also underlines that in shaping local criteria for inclusion in local plans, and considering applications in the meantime, proposals for wind turbines in areas close to national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty will need careful consideration where there could be an adverse impact on the protected area.
	The guidance explains that local planning authorities should not rule out otherwise acceptable renewable energy developments through inflexible rules on buffer zones or separation distances. This is because other than when dealing with set back distances for safety, distance of itself does not necessarily determine whether the impact of a proposal is unacceptable. Distance plays a part, but so does the local context including factors such as topography, the local environment and nearby land uses. This is why it is important to think about in what circumstances proposals are likely to be acceptable and plan on this basis.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available.

Helen Grant: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not spent any money towards the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework.

Civil Partnerships

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on civil partnerships for heterosexual couples.

Helen Grant: Civil partnership was created to enable same sex couples to obtain legal recognition of their relationship and equivalent rights and responsibilities to marriage. We currently have no plans to open civil partnership to opposite sex couples, as this recognition and these rights and responsibilities are available to them through marriage and there is no evidence that significant numbers of opposite sex couples want a civil partnership. However as part of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 we are currently reviewing the future and operation of the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

Telecommunications

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to ensure that purchasers of new-build housing have timely access to telephone and broadband services.

Edward Vaizey: The Government is confident that communications providers are working effectively with developers and house builders to provide telephone and broadband services in new-build housing. Progress is being driven by the growing demand for these services, as consumers are increasingly making decisions to buy or rent property based on broadband availability.
	The market is also supported by the Government sponsored Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2016, published in December 2010, which sets out best practice for developers and house builders installing digital communications infrastructures to and within new-build housing.
	A copy of the PAS 2016 can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pas-2016-2010-next-generation-access-for-new-build-homes-guide

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent assessment he has made of the readiness of local authorities to implement individual electoral registration.

Greg Clark: The Government intends to assess the readiness of local authorities to implement individual electoral registration (IER) later in the year, which will inform our decision on a timetable for introduction of IER.

Members: Conduct

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the statement of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 103WS, on recalls of MPs, whether he expects to publish his proposals for recall of hon. Members by their constituents before the Christmas recess.

Greg Clark: The Government believes a recall system is necessary to close the gap in current parliamentary procedures for MPs who have committed serious wrongdoing.
	The Government remains committed to introducing provisions setting out a recall mechanism which is transparent, robust and fair and will introduce a Bill when parliamentary time allows.

Primary Elections

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow 200 all-postal primaries.

Greg Clark: The Government is continuing to consider the detail of how to take forward this measure, however the political parties can choose all-postal primaries where they want to without requiring this to be funded by the taxpayer, or requiring primary legislation.

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill

Hywel Williams: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what formal assessment he has made of the potential effect of the provisions of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill on the functioning of the National Assembly for Wales.

Greg Clark: As the provisions for a statutory register of lobbyists relate only to lobbying of the UK Government, we do not anticipate any impact on the functioning of the National Assembly for Wales.
	Part 2 of the Bill impacts third parties that campaign in elections, including those elections to the devolved legislatures; it does not however impact on the functioning of the National Assembly for Wales.
	The provisions within Part 3 of the Bill do not impact on the functioning of the National Assembly for Wales.

Voluntary Work

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of the financial value of volunteering and unpaid care by staff of his Office.

Nicholas Clegg: No such assessment has been made.

Voting Rights

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research or reports have been (a) commissioned and (b) assessed by the Government on the voting rights of Commonwealth citizens; and what the recommendations of those reports were.

Greg Clark: The Government has not commissioned or assessed research on the voting rights of Commonwealth citizens.
	The right of resident Commonwealth citizens to vote in UK elections reflects our close and valued historical ties with the Commonwealth countries.
	On those occasions when it has considered this issue, Parliament has taken the view that the existing rights of groups which have entitlement to vote should not be changed.

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average weekly gross earnings of full-time employed (a) men and (b) women in (i) Wrexham constituency, (ii) North Wales and (iii) England were in (A) cash terms and (B) constant prices in each year since 2006-07.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average weekly gross earnings of full-time employed (a) men and (b) women in (i) Wrexham constituency, (ii) North Wales and (iii) England were in (A) cash terms and <B) constant prices in each year since 2006-07. (169736)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures are not available for North Wales since this does not correspond to any standard statistical geographic area, but figures for Wales are available.
	The tables show estimates of median gross weekly earnings in Wrexham constituency, Wales and England from 2006 to 2012, the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided for full-time male employees and full-time female employees and are given separately in cash terms and in 2012 prices.
	
		
			 Median gross weekly earnings (£, cash terms) for employees(1) Wrexham constituency and England between April 2006 and April 2012 
			  Wrexham constituency Wales England 
			 Year (April) Full-time males Full-time females Full-time males Full-time females Full-time males Full-time females 
			 2006 *449.4 *325.3 438.7 346.7 492.1 386.1 
			 2007 *469.5 *331.8 441.0 355.6 505.5 400.0 
			 2008 *482.6 *325.0 463.8 369.2 523.8 417.3 
			 2009 *495.7 *391.6 478.8 383.3 S3S.2 430.8 
			 2010 *493.2 *387.1 482.8 401.2 545.8 442.5 
			 2011(2) *440.2 *353.6 485.9 402.6 547.8 448.5 
			 2011(3) *435.7 *352.1 482.4 398.2 547.4 442.3 
			 2012 *492.8 **389.7 482.4 403.9 553.0 452.3 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (2) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (3) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to quality: The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure; the smaller the CV value, the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: CV <= 5% * CV => 5% and <= 10% ** CV > 10% and <=20% Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			 Median gross weekly earnings (£, real terms, April 2012 prices(1)) for employees(2) in Wrexham constituency between April 2006 and April 2012 
			  Wrexham constituency Wales England 
			 Year (April) Full-time males Full-time females Full-time males Full-time females Full-time males Full-time females 
			 2006 *543.1 *393.1 530.1 419.0 594.7 466.6 
			 2007 *552.2 *390.2 518.6 418.2 594.5 470.4 
			 200S *551.2 *371.2 529.7 421.7 604.0 476.6 
			 2009 *553.3 *437.1 S34.5 427.9 600.8 480.9 
			 2010 *530.8 *416.6 519.6 431.8 587.4 476.2 
			 2011(3) *453.5 *364.3 500.6 414.7 564.3 462.0 
			 2011(4) *448.8 *362.7 497.0 410.2 563.9 455.6 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 *492.8 **389.7 482.4 403.9 553.0 452.3 
			 (1) Actual earnings estimates have been converted to constant April 2012 prices using the all items Consumer Prices Index. (2) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. 3 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (4) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to quality: The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure; the smaller the CV value, the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: CV <= 5% * CV => 5% and <= 10% ** CV > 10% and <=20% Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics

British Nationals Abroad: Mauritius

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many UK citizens visited Mauritius in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many UK citizens visited Mauritius in each of the last five years [169811].
	I am able to report estimated visits to Mauritius made by UK citizens or nationals who are resident in the UK. Estimates are derived from the International Passenger Survey and are provided separately from 2008 to 2012.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of visits by UK nationals to Mauritius (rounded to the nearest 000) in the last five years 
			  Number 
			 2008 112 
			 2009 83 
			 2010 79 
			 2011 79 
			 2012 57 
			 Source: International Passenger Survey 
		
	
	Please note that if more than one country was visited during a trip abroad only the main country visited is recorded. This means that if a UK national residing in the UK visited Mauritius and another country in the same visit and Mauritius was stayed in for longest, only Mauritius would be recorded in the estimates.
	The IPS is a sample survey and is subject to sampling errors. The 2012 annual 95 per cent confidence interval relating to overseas travel and tourism visits from the UK is approximately +/-13.6 per cent of the estimate for "Other African" countries such as Mauritius.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Francis Maude: Since the general election, my Department has disposed a net of 13,444 square metres of office space. The sale of Admiralty Arch alone, which was under-occupied and costing the taxpayer £4.3 million to maintain a year, has raised £60 million for the public purse. Working across Government, my Department's Efficiency and Reform Group have supported Departments in making savings of £620 million last year from property.
	The Cabinet Office currently owns 9,675 square metres and rents 12,825 square metres of office space in London. 8,583 square metres of the rented property is in the Treasury building on 1 Horse Guard's Road which is now co-occupied by Cabinet Office staff.
	Information for previous years on property is as follows:
	
		
			 Square metres 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Own 25,766 25,766 25,766 11,705 9,675 
			 Rent 10,178 10,178 8,273 11,273 12,825 
		
	
	The value of the property is published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are available in the Library.

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much has been spent by his Department on offsetting costs for energy-related carbon dioxide in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how much money his Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office seeks wherever possible to drive down its energy use and associated carbon emissions and costs, it does not currently offset energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from its estate,
	The Department does, however, offset carbon emissions arising as a result of air travel. This is done through the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF). In the 2012-13, the cost for doing this was £782.

Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals

James Wharton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  when the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals will next meet;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on the frequency of meetings of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals.

Francis Maude: No date has yet been fixed for the next meeting of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals. I have received no representations on the frequency of the Committee's meetings.

Consultants

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged;
	(2)  with what consultancy firms his Department has contracted to provide advice relating to property and estates in the last 24 months.

Nick Hurd: Government spend on consultancy has fallen dramatically since the May 2010 general election, saving the taxpayer £1.023 billion last year alone. Since the election the Cabinet Office has spent far less each year than it did, for example, in 2006-07, the year in which the Leader of the Opposition was first appointed as a Cabinet Office Minister. Last year alone we saved the taxpayer £5,214,000 by reducing consultancy spend.
	As was the case under the previous administration, spend on PR consultants is not separately tracked within the Cabinet Office accounts.
	Our work to rationalise the Government's property estate has resulted in the disposal of 401 buildings in 2012-13, saving the taxpayer £620 million last year alone. Within the last 24 months as we have pursued this agenda, we have drawn on property and estates consultancy advice from: Deloitte, Jones Lang Lasalle, Savills, Valuation Office Agency, IDEA, WSP, Gerald Eve, Neller Davies, Lambert Smith Hampton, and Strutt and Parker.

Departmental Coordination

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what consideration he has given to expanding the cross-departmental committee model, as used to deliver the London 2012 Olympic Games, to other areas of government policy.

Oliver Letwin: Various Cabinet Committees already exist to co-ordinate government policy across both the domestic and international agendas.
	A list is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-cabinet-committees-system-and-list-of-cabinet-committees

Immigration: Commonwealth

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK have not become British citizens.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK have not become British citizens [170041].
	The Office for National Statistics collects data on residents of the UK from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which is the Labour Force Survey (LFS) plus various sample boosts. It is a household survey and so does not include people living in most types of communal establishment.
	The latest estimates that are available are derived from the APS for the 12 month period of January to December 2012. The estimated number of Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK (and hence the number that have not become British citizens) is 1,336,000 with a corresponding margin of error of +/- 50,000.
	The margin of error refers to the 95 per cent confidence interval and is a measure of the uncertainty associated with making inferences from a sample.

Immigration: Mauritius

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Mauritians are currently resident in the UK.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many Mauritians are currently resident in the UK [169812].
	The Office for National Statistics collects data on residents of the UK from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which is the Labour Force Survey (LFS) plus various sample boosts. It is a household survey and so does not include people living in most types of communal establishment.
	The latest estimates that are available are derived from the APS for the 12 month period of January to December 2012. The estimated number of Mauritian born residents in the UK is 46,000 with a corresponding margin of error of +/- 9,000. The estimated number of Mauritian nationals resident in the UK is 19,000 with a corresponding margin of error of +/- 6,000; this estimate is lower because some people born in Mauritius will be, or will have become, UK nationals, or will be nationals of other countries.
	The margin of error refers to the 95 per cent confidence interval and is a measure of the uncertainty associated with making inferences from a sample.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Tooting (Sadiq Khan) on 6 June 2013, Official Report, columns 1275-76W.

Minimum Wage: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in (a) Wrexham constituency and (b) Wales were paid only the minimum wage in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in (a) Wrexham constituency and (b) Wales were paid only the minimum wage in each of the last five years. (169801)
	The Office for National Statistics produces estimates for the number of people paid below the national minimum wage but does not produce estimates for those paid at the national minimum wage.
	However, you may be interested in the 2013 Low Pay Commission Report, which includes an estimate for the proportion of UK jobs that may be considered 'national minimum wage jobs', meaning that they are either below, at, or up to 5 pence above the national minimum wage.
	http://www.lowpay.gov.uk/lowpay/report/pdf/9305-BIS-Low_Pay-Accessible6.pdf
	(see paragraph 2.5 on page 20).

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employment and Support Allowance

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many appeals cases for employment and support allowance have been logged with the Department's tribunals service in the past two years; and what the appeals success rate in (a) England and (b) Bradford was;
	(2)  how many employment and support allowance (ESA) applicants are signed-off ESA before their appeals are heard by the tribunals service in (a) England and (b) Bradford in each of the last 12 months.

Michael Penning: Information on (a) how many appeals cases for employment and support allowance (ESA) have been logged with the Tribunals Service and what the appeals success rate was and (b) how many ESA applicants are signed-off ESA before their appeals are heard by the Tribunals Service is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Food Banks

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on signposting people to food banks.

Esther McVey: To reflect changes to local welfare provision in April 2013, guidance was updated accordingly. We continue to signpost claimants to foodbanks where appropriate.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the consequences for his Department's policies on spare rooms and social sector size criteria of the ruling of a tribunal chaired by Simon Collins QC in September 2013 on the size of a bedroom.

Esther McVey: First-tier tribunal decisions do not set a precedent, nor can they be used to determine other cases with similar circumstances. Decisions made at this stage relate only to the individual cases brought before the tribunal.
	The Department has however requested the tribunal's statement of reasons in relation to two of the eight cases heard where the judge appears to have misapplied statutory overcrowding legislation.
	The Department's next steps will be assessed once the full facts for the decisions are available. In the meantime additional guidance has been issued to local authorities.

Long Term Unemployed People

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants who have been out of work for more than 12 months.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants who have been out of work for more than 12 months. (169806)
	ONS compiles statistics on the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus Administrative System. Information on the duration of a claim is available for computerised claims, which currently make up 99.8% of all claims.
	In August 2013 the seasonally adjusted proportion of JSA claimants who had been claiming over 12 months was 29.7%.
	A wide range of other labour market data for parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are also published on the Office for National Statistics' Nomis website:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Occupational Pensions

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to make employees aware of the requirement for their employer to automatically enrol them in a pension scheme.

Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pensions has been running a national advertising campaign aimed at informing employees since just before the automatic enrolment policy was launched in October 2012. To date, this has included four bursts of television advertising, radio, press and digital display advertising, social media and 'out of home' advertising. The latest published tracking research (from March 2013)(1) shows that 68% of all working age adults were aware of automatic enrolment, rising to 76% among those who recognise the ad campaign. Meanwhile more than two-thirds of the working age population report seeing the adverts.
	The campaign is supplemented by a range of online information hosted on .GOV.UK, including a guide to workplace pensions and information about the staging process (ie when your employer is likely to be affected). There has also been a focus on stakeholder communication, and the Department has made a range of communications materials available to employers to help them to talk to their staff about workplace pensions.
	(1) Tracking research from July 2013 is due to be published later this month.

Social Security Benefits

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what policies his Department is pursuing to ensure that claimants are informed of their eligibility for short term benefit advances before being referred to food banks.

Steve Webb: Short term benefit advances (STBA) are only payable in very specific circumstances at the start of a claim or where there has been a change of circumstances resulting in a significant increase in benefit. STBAs are not payable in any other circumstances, including where the claimant says they have had their money stolen or say they have lost it. Where benefit cannot yet be paid and the claimant satisfies the conditions for receiving an STBA, including that they are in financial need, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will consider an STBA. DWP does signpost claimants to other services (including foodbanks) if it cannot help, but will always consider whether it has provision (including through STBAs) first.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training or information has been provided to medical assessors of (a) employment and support allowance or (b) personal independence payments about applicants suffering from Hidradenitis suppurativa.

Michael Penning: Entitlement to both employment and support allowance and personal independence payment does not depend on the condition itself but on the disabling effects of the condition. This concept forms the basis of health professional training.
	No specific training material has been provided to health professionals who carry out assessments for employment and support allowance or personal independence payment in relation to Hidradenitis Suppurativa. However, HCPs would be expected to use approved additional material to inform themselves of conditions with which they are unfamiliar.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will confirm what recent assessments his Department has made of the suitability of the criteria for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment for those applicants who suffer from Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

Michael Penning: Entitlement to both employment and support allowance and personal independence payment does not depend on the condition itself but on the disabling effects of the condition.
	The criteria for employment and support allowance are subject to regular and ongoing review. DWP has a statutory commitment to independently review the work capability assessment annually for the first five years of its operation. Dr Paul Litchfield has been appointed to carry out the 4th review and his report is due to be published before the end of 2013. In addition, the Department is currently undertaking an evidence based review of the work capability assessment. With input from relevant representative organisations and external experts, the review is due to report before the end of 2013.
	The criteria for personal independence payment were developed in collaboration with a group of independent specialists in health, social care and disability, including representatives from RADAR, who subsequently merged to become Disability Rights UK, and Equality 2025. DWP also has a statutory commitment to lay before Parliament two independent reports on the operation of assessments within two and four years respectively.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the detailed recommendations made by the Universal Credit reset team, referred to in paragraph 2.5 of the NAO Report Universal Credit: early progress?, published on 5 September 2013.

Esther McVey: The information sought is not intended for disclosure, as it contains sensitive information for the purpose of providing an objective analysis of the costs, benefits and risks presented, and as such, it will not be placed in the Library.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of instances of breaches of harmony guidelines in the armed forces in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date.

Anna Soubry: Harmony guidelines are used by the services to strike a balance between deployment, training and time with families. Individual harmony guidelines are different for the three services, equating to no more than 660 days away from home over a rolling three-year period for the naval service, no more than 415 days away in a 30-month rolling period for the Army and no more than 280 days away in the previous 24 months for the Royal Air Force.
	Breaches of harmony are measured in percentages. The following tables show the extent of breaches of harmony guidelines over the last four years for each service. The percentages are for trained UK regular forces.
	
		
			 Naval service: Percentage of personnel in breach of harmony guidelines 
			 As at 1 April each year Percentage 
			 2010 1.4 
			 2011 0.8 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 0.5 
			 2013 0.9 
		
	
	
		
			 Army: Percentage of personnel in breach of harmony guidelines 
			 As at 1 April each year Percentage 
			 2010 5.6 
			 2011 5.2 
			 2012 5.6 
			 2013 5.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Royal Air Force: Percentage of personnel in breach of harmony guidelines 
			 As at 1 April each year Percentage 
			 2010 3.0 
			 2011 2.7 
			 2012 3.2 
			 2013 3.6 
		
	
	As at 1 July 2013, 0.8% of naval service personnel, 4.7% of Army personnel and 3.5% of RAF personnel were in breach of harmony guidelines.
	To put these figures in context quarters in previous years show: for the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2010 the RAF had 3% in breach, between 1 October 2008 to 31 March 2011 the Army had 5.2% in breach and between 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2010 the Navy had 1.4% in breach of harmony guidelines.

Armed Forces

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of morale amongst service personnel in each of the services in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date.

Anna Soubry: It is a key function of the chain of command to know their people, including levels of morale and performance. Each of the services has mechanisms in place to ensure that issues are identified and acted upon.
	In quantitative terms, the principal means of monitoring changes in morale within the services is the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS). The findings of the AFCAS are used extensively in shaping policy for terms and conditions of service. The results of the 2013 survey were published on 25 July 2013 and the full survey can be found at the following address:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/other/surveys/armed-forces-continuous-attitude-survey/2013
	In the 2013 survey, 39% of military personnel described their morale as “high”, 32% as “neutral” and 29% as “low”. The recommendations of the Strategic Defence and Security Review have necessitated a series of difficult decisions, including reshaping our armed forces as we move towards “'Future Force 2020”. While issues such as headcount reductions and pay restraint have inevitably had an impact on morale, I continue to be impressed by the absolute dedication of our military personnel.
	A breakdown of the AFCAS data by service over the years requested is as follows. Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding:
	
		
			 Royal Navy 
			 Percentage 
			  2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 High 41 41 37 38 
			 Neutral 35 33 35 34 
			 Low 25 27 28 28 
		
	
	
		
			 Royal Marines 
			 Percentage 
			  2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 High 47 47 43 46 
			 Neutral 35 30 31 30 
			 Low 19 23 26 25 
		
	
	
		
			 Army 
			 Percentage 
			  2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 High 59 50 45 40 
			 Neutral 26 30 29 31 
			 Low 15 20 26 30 
		
	
	
		
			 RAF 
			 Percentage 
			  2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 High 43 41 37 38 
			 Neutral 35 31 32 33 
			 Low 22 28 31 29 
		
	
	
		
			 Overall 
			 Percentage 
			  2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 High 52 46 42 39 
			 Neutral 30 31 31 32 
			 Low 18 23 28 29

Armed Forces

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the level of domestic abuse incidents amongst armed forces families.

Anna Soubry: For our most recent assessment of the numbers of allegations of domestic violence made by service personnel and their families as recorded by either the service police or Ministry of Defence police, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 982W, to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon).

Armed Forces

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the level of unemployment amongst armed forces spouses and families;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the level of underemployment amongst armed forces spouses and families.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) uses data from the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) to assess the level of employment among the spouses and partners of armed forces personnel. The AFC AS 2013 survey indicated that 72% of service personnel partners or spouses were in employment. This included 22% who classed their spouses or partners as part-time workers, but there is no data to indicate the extent of any underemployment. No data are collected on other family members.
	The MOD appreciates that the mobile nature of Service life can create a particular difficulty for working partners who may have to give up their own jobs to accompany service personnel on postings. The Armed Forces Covenant recognises that families should not face disadvantage compared to other citizens, and Government measures taken to ensure this include working with Jobcentre Plus Armed Forces champions to assist service families find employment, and changes to rules for accessing Jobcentre Plus benefits and services.
	As part of the New Employment Model, the MOD is looking to support domestic stability and support partners' employment. The impact of service careers on family personal life and their partner's employment are consistently cited in the AFCAS as the top two reasons that increase the service person's intention to leave. In April 2013, the MOD started a two-year partner employment project to better understand the issues surrounding partner employment and to develop proposals to support it.
	We continue to work closely with the Families Federations and others to ensure partner employment initiatives are appropriate and make a real difference to spouses of service personnel.

Armed Forces: Coroners

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many inquests have been held into the deaths of service personnel who have died overseas in circumstances where the family of the deceased were based in Scotland in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many fatal accident inquiries have been held into the deaths of service personnel who have died overseas in circumstances where the family of the deceased were based in Scotland in each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry: The place of residence of the families of deceased service personnel is not recorded centrally. However, records show that the numbers of armed forces personnel who died on operations overseas and were buried in Scotland in each of the last three years were as follows:
	
		
			  Number of burials in Scotland 
			 2010 6 
			 2011 3 
			 2012 1 
		
	
	The 2009 Coroners and Justice Act allows military families based in Scotland to request that an investigation into an operational death overseas be transferred to Scottish jurisdiction for a fatal accident inquiry. Since the implementation of the relevant section of the Act on 17 September 2012, there have been no fatal accident inquiries into the deaths of service personnel who have died overseas.

Armed Forces: Dogs

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of military working dogs were (a) put down and (b) re-homed at the end of their service in the last twelve months;
	(2)  for what reasons military dogs were put down at the end of their service in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what provisions are made for military working dogs that are (a) healthy, (b) have an illness and (c) injured at the end of their service;
	(4)  what options are considered before deciding to put down military working dogs at the end of their service and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  who within his Department takes the final decision to put down military working dogs at the end of their service and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  if he will investigate the number of military working dogs put down at the end of their service; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  what legal framework is currently in place to control the number of military working dogs that are put down; what plans he has to amend this framework; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Military working dogs and their handlers provide a valuable range of specialist roles world wide. When they reach the end of their military service life, it is the Department's policy to re-home all suitable military working dogs, often with someone closely associated with the dog while it was serving. Members of the public can also apply to re-home retired military working dogs and there are currently around 150 people waiting for a suitable dog to become available.
	There are currently 1,110 military working dogs in service within the Ministry of Defence. The number of dogs re-homed between January 2010 and 7 October 2013 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of military working dogs re-homed 
			 2010 92 
			 2011 80 
			 2012 104 
			 2013 (7 October 2013) 83 
		
	
	It is deeply distressing for all concerned if a dog has to be put down, however this decision is only taken by a veterinarian officer after all other possible avenues have been exhausted and only ever when it is the most humane option for the dog or where there is a considered risk to public safety.
	There is no legislative requirement for a legal framework to control the number of military working dogs that are put down, and there are no plans to implement one.
	Information on the number of military working dogs that have been put down since 2010, and the reasons for doing so is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			 2010 
			 Reason Total 
			 Abdominal catastrophe 2 
			 Aged—welfare 48 
			 Chronic skin disease 1 
			 Dangerous temperament 17 
			 Heart failure 3 
			 Injuries sustained in a RTA 1 
			 Malignancy 3 
			 Multi organ failure 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Musculoskeletal disease 1 
			 Neurological 11 
			 Osteoarthritis 18 
			 Severe chest wound 1 
			 Severe injury 1 
			 Severe ophthalmological disease 1 
			 Severe skin disease 2 
			 Severe soft tissue disease 1 
			 Spinal disease 1 
			 Unknown 4 
			 2010 total 117 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 
			 Reason Total 
			 Abdominal catastrophe 3 
			 Aged—welfare 20 
			 Catastrophic bone fracture 1 
			 Complications following trauma 1 
			 Dangerous temperament 11 
			 Heart disease 1 
			 Malignancy 11 
			 Neurological 10 
			 Osteoarthritis 17 
			 Peritonitis 1 
			 Severe ligament damage 1 
			 Spinal disease 2 
			 Unknown 4 
			 Unknown—suspected coagulopathy 1 
			 2011 total 84 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 
			 Reason Total 
			 Abdominal catastrophe 2 
			 Aged—welfare 16 
			 Blindness 1 
			 Chronic gastroenterological disease 1 
			 Complications following fracture repair 1 
			 Dangerous temperament 2 
			 Heart disease 2 
			 Internal injuries following trauma 1 
			 Malignancy 6 
			 Metabolic disease 1 
			 Multiple extensive injuries 1 
			 Musculoskeletal disease 1 
			 Neurological 9 
			 Osteoarthritis 22 
			 Ruptured spleen 1 
			 Severe skin disease 3 
			 Suspected neurological disease 1 
			 2012 total 71 
		
	
	
		
			 2013(1) 
			 Reason Total 
			 Abdominal catastrophe 1 
			 Aged—welfare 4 
			 Blindness 1 
			 Chronic gastroenterological 1 
			 Dangerous temperament 5 
			 Died—Oral Pyriprole toxicity 3 
			 Heart disease 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Malignancy 3 
			 Multiple chronic disease processes 1 
			 Osteoarthritis 10 
			 2013 total 30 
			 (1) January to June

Armed Forces: Housing

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the occupancy rates are of each type of Single Living Accommodation; and what proportion of occupied accommodation is graded for charge at tier (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3, (d) 4 and (e) below 4.

Anna Soubry: This information is not held. The Department is currently developing a robust single living accommodation allocation and management system which will be available in 2014.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what processes are in place to support and encourage those under 18's recruited to the armed forces to report (a) sexual harassment, (b) sexual assault and (c) rape by (i) an instructor, (ii) another recruit and (iii) a senior officer; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence does not tolerate sexual harassment or any form of sexual assault by any member of its staff, Service personnel or civilian. Where service personnel under the age of 18 are concerned, the commanding officers of those units are required to hold induction briefings attended by staff and recruits/trainees, including those under 18. These briefings are tailored to ensure that personnel are aware of what constitutes unacceptable behaviour and the mechanisms for reporting it, including the complaints process.

Coleshill Auxilliers

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to awarding service recognition to members of the Coleshill Auxilliers.

Anna Soubry: There are no plans to institute a specific award for those who were members of the Coleshill Auxilliers. The auxiliary units were listed as Home Guard units, and, as such, members who completed three years service in the United Kingdom qualify for the Defence Medal. In addition surviving members may apply for the Armed Forces Veterans Badge.

Conditions of Employment

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times the harmony guidelines have been breached for each of the three services in the last year.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 9 September 2013
	Harmony guidelines are used by the services to strike a balance between deployment, training and time with families. Individual harmony guidelines are different for the three services, equating to no more than 660 days away from home over a rolling three year period for the naval service, no more than 415 days away in a 30 month rolling period for the Army and no more than 280 days away in the previous 24 months for the Royal Air Force.
	Breaches of harmony are measured in percentages. As at quarter 1 of 2013-14, 0.8% of naval service personnel, 4.7% of Army personnel and 3.5% of RAF personnel were in breach of harmony guidelines.
	To put these figures in context quarters in previous years show: for the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2010 the RAF had 3% in breach, between 1 October 2008 and 31 March 2011 the Army had 5.2% in breach and between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2010 the Navy had 1.4% in breach of harmony guidelines.

Greenock

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made in discussions between his Department and the preferred bidder for his Department's building at Greenock formerly used by the coastguard.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence is disposing of the building at Greenock in accordance with Treasury guidelines. A preferred bidder has been identified but it is inappropriate to comment further while this process is ongoing.

Guided Weapons

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what missile systems can be fired from the Sylver Vertical Launching System; what plans he has to procure other missile systems for its use; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The Royal Navy's Type 45 Destroyers fire the Sea Viper missile system from their Sylver Vertical Launching Systems (SVLS). There are currently no plans to procure other missile systems for the SVLS.

Marchwood Military Port

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the security of the continuing Sea Mounting Centre at Marchwood will be maintained following the sale of the freehold of the site; what measures will be taken to create an adequate safety-zone between any munitions (a) held at and (b) passing through the Sea Mounting Centre, and any commercial enterprise set up on part of the site; whether any civilian port facilities on the site will be (i) entirely separate from or (ii) permitted to overlap with the continuing military port facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The requirements for the Marchwood sale are being finalised. This includes the arrangements for on-site security, munitions handling and the establishment of civilian port facilities at Marchwood, along with developing the commercial proposition to take to the market within the spending review period.

Marchwood Military Port

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made in planning for the sale of the freehold of the site of the Sea Mounting Centre at Marchwood; what recent consultations have taken place with representatives of the local community about the (a) future of the site and (b) impact on the local community of any sale of the freehold to Associated British Ports; when a recommendation will be made about which bidder for the freehold to select; and whether the local community will be given the opportunity to make representations once a preferred bidder has been identified and before a final decision is made.

Philip Dunne: Work continues to prepare the site for sale but it is too early to say who will participate in any competition for Marchwood. The Ministry of Defence has committed to engaging with the local authority and the other community representatives as the project goes forward. Any applications to change the activities at Marchwood significantly would go through the usual process that allows time for local comments to be incorporated.

National Service: Medals

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will introduce a National Service Medal for those individuals who performed a period of national service.

Anna Soubry: The Prime Minister has asked Sir John Holmes to include the issue of medallic recognition for all military service, including national service, in his review. The Government will give full consideration to any recommendations made by Sir John.

PRIME MINISTER

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Prime Minister how much his Office spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Tooting (Sadiq Khan) on 6 June 2013, Official Report, columns 1275-76W.

EDUCATION

Academies: Sponsorship

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what due diligence procedures his Department has for placing an organisation on the Academy sponsor list;
	(2)  what criteria his Department uses for approving Academy sponsors.

Edward Timpson: The Department requires all potential academy sponsors to submit a formal application in order to demonstrate their suitability.
	This includes:
	1. the educational aims and objectives of the organisation;
	2. their understanding of the role of an academy sponsor as a leader and challenger, accountable for progressive and sustainable improvement;
	3. evidence of their capacity and capability to deliver their aims and objectives, including any previous experience of working with an underperforming school/schools to raise standards; and
	4. their track record of success in their sector.
	We work closely with applicants and where we have concerns about the suitability of individuals within these organisations we have robust processes in place to undertake assessment of whether they are appropriate to become an academy sponsor. The Department rejects applications from those organisations it considers not to have the capability or capacity to raise and maintain standards in our schools.

Education: Finance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how closely matched schools and sixth form colleges' funding will be once the transitional protection period for the policy changes from the Spending Review 2010 finishes in 2014-15.

David Laws: We are committed to delivering our vision as stated in the White Paper ‘The Importance of Teaching’, published on 24 November 2010. This set out the Government's commitment to end the disparity in funding for 16 to 18-year-olds so that from the academic year 2015-16, schools and colleges will be funded at the same level as one another for like-for-like provision. We moved schools on to the same national funding rate as colleges in the academic year 2011-12 and put in place transitional protection for four years, to give schools time to adapt to the new funding regime. The transitional protection will cease at the end of 2014-15, and funding for institutions offering similar provision to similar students will then be the same.

Families: Disadvantaged

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the financial saving of social workers working with families to retain their children rather than taking them in to care; and how many troubled families are supported in England and Wales in this manner.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has not made such an estimate.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Elizabeth Truss: The annual cost of staffing Ministers' private offices in the Department for Education has been reduced by more than £440,000 under this Government. The number of staff employed on each grade in the private ministerial office of each Minister is as follows:
	
		
			 Ministerial private office Grade Number of staff 
			 Secretary of State, Michael Gove EAAO 1 
			  EO 1 
			  HEO 2 
			  Grade 6 1 
			  Grade 7 1 
			  SCS Band 1 1 
			    
			 David Laws EAAO 1 
			  EO 2 
			  HEO 1 
			  Grade 7 1 
			    
			 Edward Timpson EAAO 1 
			  EO 3 
			  HEO 1 
			    
			 John Nash EAAO 1 
			  EO 2 
			  HEO 1 
			    
			 Elizabeth Truss EO 3 
			  HEO 1 
		
	
	Matthew Hancock works jointly at the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. One EO grade member of staff working in Matthew Hancock's ministerial private office is employed by the Department for Education. London pay bands applicable to the posts above in 2012-13 are as follows:
	
		
			 Grade London pay bands (£) 
			 Executive Assistant (AO) 21,550 22,629 
			 Executive Officer 25,587 27,702 
			 Higher Executive Officer 30,434 33,684 
			 Grade 7 49,247 57,795 
			 Grade 6 59,162 69,879 
			 SCS grade 1 60,000 117,800

National Curriculum Tests

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  for what reasons pupils who enter the country for the first time in either reception year or in year one and who leave the country before taking Key Stage 1 SATS and return during Key Stage 2 count in the combined L4+ English and mathematics target when they are not included in the progress target;
	(2)  for what reasons pupils who enter the country for the first time in years 3 and 4 count in the combined L4+ English and mathematics target when they are not included in the progress target.

Elizabeth Truss: Published attainment measures include every child at the end of key stage 2. Schools can ask the Department to discount children who have recently arrived from overseas (in the last two academic years) and who do not have English as a first language from all performance measure calculations. For additional information, we also publish accompanying measures showing attainment and progress of those pupils who have been in the school throughout years 5 and 6.
	Most children without key stage 1 teacher assessment data are excluded from the expected progress measure. Exceptions are where it can clearly be seen from a child's end of key stage 2 results whether or not they have made at least two levels of progress, e.g. a pupil achieving level 6 cannot have failed to have made expected progress as level.4 is the highest key stage 1 level at which they can be assessed. Guidance on the expected progress measure can be found at the Department's website.(1)
	(1)Note:
	www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/primary_12/documents.html
	We are currently consulting on the future of primary school accountability measures, including progress measures. Details of the consultation, which ends on 11 October, can also be found on the Department's website.(2)
	(2) Note:
	www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-national-curriculum-primary-assessment-and-accountability

School Leaving

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that there are sufficient school place in response to Raising the Participation age.

David Laws: The Government has made £7.4 billion available in 2013-14 to fund a place for every 16 to 19-year-old who wants to stay in education, training or an apprenticeship. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient, suitable places to meet demand. Under the ‘September Guarantee’ they track offers made to 16 and 17-year-olds so that they can identify any young person who is not able to find a suitable place and address any emerging gaps in provision with the Education Funding Agency (EFA).
	In cases where gaps are identified, the EFA will either fill those places through negotiation with providers or it will run a competitive tender. EFA currently has no live bids from local authorities in England seeking to fill gaps in provision.
	Education and training institutions are expected to respond to demand from young people by taking on additional students during the year where they have the capacity; they will be funded for this through established funding arrangements.

School Leaving

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people required to stay in education, training or apprenticeships under Raising the Participation Age have been unable to find places in (a) education, (b) training and (c) apprenticeships to date.

Matthew Hancock: Local authorities are required to inform the Department by the end of October how many young people did not receive an offer because they could not find a place. Information on the proportion of young people who did not receive an offer will be made available on the Department's website in January 2014.

School Leaving

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many local authorities have been unable to provide sufficient school placements to meet increased demand under Raising the Participation Age.

David Laws: Local authorities are required to inform the Department by the end of October how many young people did not receive an offer because they could not find a place. Information on the proportion of young people who did not receive an offer will be made available on the Department's website in January 2014.

Schools: Admissions

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will issue further information on the membership of the working group on admissions; and how it will be monitoring the issue.

David Laws: The Admissions Framework Steering Group comprises officials from the Department and representatives of local authorities, schools, school governors, faith bodies and other organisations with an interest in school admissions.
	We will consult this steering group during the forthcoming admission round for 2014 to help us monitor the extent to which admissions authorities have been able to meet parents' requests on behalf of summer born children for admission to a particular year group.

Schools: Admissions

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans his Department has to monitor the effect of new advice issued on school starting age.

David Laws: The advice on school starting age for summer born children was published on 29 July 2013(1) to inform the allocation of school places for 2014.
	We are confident that the advice we have published will mean admission authorities and parents gain a better understanding of the statutory framework within which decisions are made and removes the misunderstanding which appears to be getting in the way of admission authorities agreeing to parental requests.
	We will continue to look at all cases that come to our attention via groups like Bliss (the charity for premature babies) or the Admissions Framework Steering Group and assess whether further action is needed to ensure that admission authorities take full account of the advice when considering parental requests to vary the school starting age for summer born children.
	(1) http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/a/advice_summer _born_children.pdf

Schools: Admissions

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans his Department has to monitor complaints made by parents regarding the school starting age; and how the complaints will be followed up.

David Laws: The Department logs the issues raised by parents and other groups through correspondence and objections to the Schools Adjudicator, who reports on such issues to the Secretary of State for Education. Following recent complaints about the difficulties faced by summer-born children in the admissions process, the Department worked with Bliss (the charity for premature babies) and a small group of parents to produce the advice on the admission of summer born children that was published on 29 July 2013(1). We expect this advice will inform the allocation and offer of school places for 2014.
	We will continue to monitor correspondence on this issue and to work with Bliss and our Admissions Framework Steering Group to assess the impact of the advice and decide whether the nature of future complaints warrant further action from the Department.
	(1) http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/a/advice_ summer_born_children.pdf

Schools: Attendance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on the statutory guidance and departmental advice on school attendance published in August 2013.

Elizabeth Truss: The revisions to statutory guidance and departmental advice on school attendance in August 2013 were made to reflect new regulations on leave of absence in schools and timescales for paying penalty notices. The Department has not received representations specific to these revisions to the statutory guidance and departmental advice.

Schools: Playing Fields

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what rules govern the expansion of schools to prevent the loss of sporting and play facilities.

David Laws: Prior to 2012, no protection existed to prevent schools putting school buildings on playing fields. Schools could build over playing fields with impunity without seeking consent. This led to the disappearance of thousands of playing fields—Fields in Trust (formerly The National Playing Field Association) estimated 2,540 playing fields, or 26 sites a month, were lost between 1997 and 2005. This Government has introduced protection for playing fields where there were none before. Schools and local authorities now have to seek permission if they want to change the use of public playing fields by putting school buildings on them. We now require schools to apply for consent even where the buildings are being used for education or recreational purposes.
	When considering applications to place school buildings on playing fields we take into account the amount of playing field space a school will be left with after the building work, whether there will be any impact on sport and play and the reason for the proposed change.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to transfer the cost of historic private finance initiative deals to those schools that have opted out of their local authority arrangements to become academies or free schools.

David Laws: Schools that become academies remain part of local private finance deals. The contract remains between the local authority and the private finance contractor; the academy pays the local authority its share of the cost of the deal under an agreement made at the time of conversion. The Government has no plans to change these arrangements.

Sixth Form Colleges: Insurance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the effect of sixth form colleges funding their own insurance compared to academies.

David Laws: There are no extra funding elements for insurance in the funding formula for education of 16 to 19-year-olds for any institution, including academies. Local authorities often arrange insurance for the schools they maintain, with the consent of those schools through the schools forum. Academies, as individual institutions, have to arrange their own insurance cover. That is why we have included an element for insurance in the pre-16 funding allocations for academies, to assist them with those costs. Academies are not given any extra funding for insurance in the funding they receive for their 16 to 19-year-old students.

Special Guardianship Orders

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many special guardians were registered in England in each of the last eight years.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of special guardians in England.
	The number of looked after children in England who ceased to be looked after due to having a special guardianship order made is available as part of the annual Children Looked After Statistical First Release(1).
	(1 )https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption

Special Guardianship Orders

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many special guardians were registered in each local authority in England in each of the last eight years.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of special guardians in England.
	The number of looked after children in England who ceased to be looked after due to having a special guardianship order made is available as part of the annual Children Looked After Statistical First Release(1).
	(1) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption

Truancy

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve the ability of schools to track pupils obliged to be in full-time education.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government has lowered the threshold for classifying pupils as persistently absent from 20% to 15% of missed school time, to enable schools to identify patterns of poor attendance earlier and to act to address it.
	All schools are required to inform the relevant local authority at agreed regular intervals of the names and address of pupils who fail to attend school regularly or have been continuously absent from school for ten school days or more without the school's permission.